


Hi Ya, Sweetheart

by BettyHT



Series: Irae [3]
Category: Bonanza
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 10:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16386041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BettyHT/pseuds/BettyHT
Summary: 3rd in the Irae series --The continuation of the series with the same characters but this is a much lighter story with humor especially with Lake and romances for Ben and Hoss as their stories finally are told.





	Hi Ya, Sweetheart

Hi Ya, Sweetheart!

Chapter 1

After a long winter closed up in their houses, and a cold, wet spring working in unpleasant conditions, it was finally time for the roundup and the drive that signaled a new fiscal year for the Ponderosa and the start of summer. To kick things off on the right note, Ben Cartwright decided to take his whole family to town for a nice dinner before all the hard work began. For the first time, the Ponderosa and Whispering Pines ranches would be combining their herds and hands for the roundup and drive so Adam would be working with his brothers again. On the first Saturday in April, Ben asked his sons to breakfast for a planning meeting. He waited for their surprise when he gave them the first order of business. Joe was teasing Adam that he had seemed to put on a bit of weight over the winter and Adam had countered that Joe seemed to be getting quite a few gray hairs. That of course led Joe to comment on Adam's thinning hair and then on Hoss' even thinner hair. Hoss had been left out of the teasing until then but joined in wholeheartedly once he was included. Ben had to call a halt and all three men looked very serious expecting to have to work out a schedule for rounding up cattle, branding, and then getting them to market.

"It's been a long winter. It's good that we have a mild spring and can look forward to a profitable drive. First order of business then. On Saturday, I expect all of you to be dressed in your best clothes and meet me at the International House for dinner. Adam, you will bring Irae and the children of course. I have reserved a big table and there will the best meal that they can prepare waiting for us. Any questions?"

It had been quite amusing to see the confusion turn to surprise and then joy oh his sons' faces as they processed what he had said. He had told them then that Monday morning would be soon enough to talk about work. They would spend the weekend enjoying time as a family first with dinner, then together at church on Sunday for Leaf's christening, and then again at the Ponderosa on Sunday afternoon for a dinner to which the minister and his wife, Paul Martin, Irae's mother, and Sheriff Coffee had been invited.

"Nothing is more important than family. Over the next two months, we're going to be so busy that at times, we may not have be able to share much with our family so we're going to make sure that we have a great time with family before we get too busy. Does that sound about right to all of you?"

Now it was Saturday evening, and Ben sat at the table so proud to have his sons, his daughter-in-law, and his two grandchildren there. His dream of creating a estate of tall trees that could touch the sky that he could pass on to future generations was coming true. Hoss had told them that he was getting close to making his own announcement of courting, and Ben too was close to announcing that he was courting.

Dinner was very pleasant. Adam's young son Lake was very excited. He had recently turned two years old and was starting to talk a lot and ask many questions much like his father had at that age, but Lake was luckier than his father in that he had many adults around him who were there to answer his questions. He spoke very clearly and unusually well for someone so young. His questions were easy to answer, but Ben knew that they would get increasingly difficult to answer if he followed his father's pattern. He looked forward to Adam having to face those moments, but sighed too knowing his son was probably better equipped to answer those questions than he had been. Mostly though, he smiled as he watched Lake watch his father and imitate everything he could that Adam did. There was nothing that Lake liked to do more than to follow his father wherever he could and mimic him in whatever he could. Tonight he wore a white shirt and miniature tie because that was what Adam was wearing. He sat beside Adam as Leaf sat next on her mother's lap next to them.

Next to the large table where the Cartwright clan was seated, Clementine Hawkins was having dinner with two of her lady friends. She cast many glances at the table hoping to catch Ben's eye and wondered if he was purposefully avoiding looking at her. She had heard the stories too that he was seeing someone in Carson City, but he never brought anyone to any of the social events in Virginia City so she held out hope yet that she might win his heart if he would only give her a chance. It was the curious and attentive Lake though who noticed her looks. Adam always looked around the room to see who was there and what they were doing so Lake did the same. He caught Clementine's attention to their family on several of those turns toward their table and smiled at her each time. She found the little boy charming with that beautiful grin he had with those dimples in that dark face framed with those ebony waves of hair and those hooded hazel eyes so like his father's. He had the cutest nose too. She couldn't help but smile at him. Finally she spoke to him on one of their shared looks.

"Aren't you the handsome one there, cowboy."

"Hi ya, sweetheart. Got some sugar for me?"

As Adam grabbed Lake in extreme embarrassment and tried to come up with an apology, the ladies sitting with Clementine burst into laughter that Clementine had to share. She had charmed a Cartwright but it wasn't the one she had hoped to win. Holding Leaf on her lap, Irae was caught between embarrassment and amusement at Adam's extreme chagrin at Lake parroting his words. As Adam uncharacteristically stumbled through an apology to Clementine, Ben was busy wiping up the coffee that had come out of his nose at hearing Lake's comment to Clementine and then Adam's stammering as he tried to apologize. He wasn't sure whether to be embarrassed for his son and for his reaction or to laugh as other two sons were doing. It had been very funny to hear what would have been a fairly lecherous comment from Adam come out as a wholly innocent question from a two-year old boy. He had to smile a bit as Hoss roared with laughter he couldn't control and Joe was caught in hysterical giggles at Adam kept trying to apologize and fumbling with words so unlike him because he had no way to explain away how his son had come to pick up that particular phrase. Of course he could tell the truth about how he said that to his wife the previous evening when he got home and wanted something a bit more than a kiss, but he wouldn't. Ben smiled gently then as he remembered Adam at that age and knew that his son probably had a couple of years of this type of behavior coming up. He rather expected the conversation he had with his son the next morning after he had left the restaurant a bid redfaced with embarrassment that night.

"Adam, I can tell you that it is one of the prices you pay for having a precocious and highly intelligent child." Ben paused to let that sink in with his son. He knew it would.

"You're telling me I said things like this when I was his age?"

"No, I can't say that you did, but I was not involved in a relationship with anyone when you were this age. No, you were older when you embarrassed me like that. You have more of these moments coming. You have a child with enormous intelligence, and as Hoss would say, all the good sense of a rock."

"There are times I wish I had a rock to hide under when he says things like that."

"Son, as smart as Lake is, I'm guessing that this is only the hint of what is to come."

"Pa, don't say that."

"I'm remembering you at his age, and he seems even smarter or it could be that he has parents who can answer his questions better than I could answer yours, and who have taught him more about the world. He's only two. It will be a few more years before you can teach him about social restraint. Until then, keep a close watch on him, and son, good luck with that."

"Pa, why do I get the feeling that you're enjoying this?"

"Oh, perhaps I am a bit. It's not easy being a father. I made a lot of mistakes along the way. Maybe it's a form of vindication to see my very smart, very well educated, very practical son struggling at least a little with being a father."

"On the other hand, I could tell the ladies that Lake was delivering a message from you."

With a look of horror, Ben shook his head. "No, son, you wouldn't?"

"No, I probably wouldn't. It all depends on how well you taught me social restraint, I guess. If you're so sure that there will be a next time, maybe you could try to help me out instead of enjoying my predicament quite so much."

"Yes, son, I could try to do that. It was very funny though. Part of the reason I didn't help you out was that coffee came out my nose when Lake said that. It was very funny hearing a boy at two say something that a man might say to a woman."

Leaning back against the wall and cradling his cup of coffee in two hands, Adam smiled gently. "Yes, that's what Irae said. She kept telling me to have a laugh about it and not worry so much. I guess it is a cute story, or at least it will be when we can tell it to his wife when he's about twenty-four."

"I do wonder what he will come up with next."

With a deep sigh, Adam shook his head. "That's what worries me most."

Chapter 2

Hearing a lot of commotion, Ben stood and set his coffee cup on the counter in Adam's kitchen. "Sounds like Irae and Martha have the children ready to go. I'll go outside and pull the carriage up in front."

"Thanks, Pa. I'll have everyone outside as quickly as I can."

With some convincing, Lake was dressed in his jacket and hat. Adam helped Irae into her wrap and Martha into hers. He picked up Leaf and handed her to Irae holding the door open for the group who headed outside. As soon as Lake saw that his grandfather was there with the large Ponderosa carriage to give them a ride to church, he was much more excited about going. Ben swung him up on the front bench and helped the ladies into the back seat as Adam got extra supplies for the baby into the back of the carriage before joining his father and Lake on the front seat. They headed off to church then for the service and the christening that was to take place immediately after.

"Lake, you seem to have a lot of energy this morning. Did you sleep well?"

"I got up early. Papa wasn't happy."

"He wasn't happy you got up early?"

"No, he said I should stay in bed. Grandpa, why should I stay in bed?"

"Your papa wants you to get enough sleep."

"I was done sleeping."

"Maybe your papa wasn't done sleeping."

"He was."

"Lake, that's enough. I swear, Pa, I need to put a lock on that door."

"Your bedroom door?"

"No, his. Yesterday, he got up early and we didn't hear him. He decided to make his own breakfast. It was quite a mess. I didn't tell you about that yesterday but it has happened several times now. I'm afraid of what he might do some morning. He gets up as soon as there's enough light to see where he's going. He's quiet too."

"Like father, like son. I always got up early as a boy. Still do. You were like that as a boy and you seem to get up early now as well. I don't know that I was all that quiet, but you were. Perhaps it was growing up on the move that made you learn to be so quiet in your movements. You were though, and often I was surprised to find your blankets all rolled up and put away when I thought you might still be sleeping."

"At least I didn't get into any trouble."

"Oh, I didn't say that. I recall a patch of poison ivy that you picked once and then of course they was that pretty kitten you brought back to camp except its mother was less than pleasant smelling and was walking not too far behind you."

"Oh, I remember that one. I don't think I could sit down for a week."

"I'm sorry about that, but the people on the wagon train insisted I do something about you. It took about a week for that smell to fade too."

The two men chuckled at the distant memory that seemed rather humorous in retrospect but hadn't seemed so funny at the time. Irae had smiled listening to the story, but hoped that anything that Lake did would be found to be only humorous as well. She was worried about what he might do next. With her background, she knew that people were going to be tying the two things together no matter how innocently Lake acted. She feared that his behavior was going to have ugly consequences. At church, friends greeted the Cartwrights. Hoss and Joe were already there as were Doctor Paul Martin and Sheriff Roy Coffee who helped Martha from the carriage and escorted her to the church. Hoss and Joe took care of the carriage horse as Ben helped Lake from the carriage and proudly walked to the church with his oldest grandchild. Helping Irae from the carriage, Adam held Leaf until Irae adjusted her shawl and they watched Ben with his grandson. The smell from Leaf then made them delay a few minutes as Adam got a clean diaper so that Irae could change their daughter. Relieved that she did it there and not in church, Adam and Irae were smiling and relaxed when they entered the church narthex only to hear Lake asking the minister if he liked wrestling except he said wrassling as Hoss pronounced it. They couldn't work their way through the crowd fast enough, and Ben apparently didn't understand the significance of that topic and was visiting with some friends.

"No, I'm afraid I don't."

"Uncle Hoss likes wrassling. He's good. He wrassles some men. He always wins. Papa only wrassles Mama."

Luckily only a few paid attention to what a two-year-old was saying. They smiled and chuckled at the comments and only a couple of them heard the last part as Adam reached Lake and the boy was frightened a bit by his father's look and the last few words were very quiet as Lake wondered why his father looked the way that he did. Adam grabbed him and whispered furiously at him telling him to never tell that story again ever to anyone. Lake nodded aware that his father took that matter very seriously. He didn't know why it was so serious but it was clear that it was.

"But, Papa, I saw you wrassling. In bed. This morning. You was winning. You was on top."

"Lake, enough! I told you that you shouldn't ever talk about that. I meant it."

By then, Ben was at Adam's side and had to hold back a grin as he realized what Lake had been about to reveal to the minister as well as the congregation. He heard those comments that Lake made to his father. "Yes, son, a lock on the door sounds like it's way overdue." Keeping as straight a face as he could, Ben turned to go into the church, but Adam could swear he saw his father's shoulders shaking a little with a subdued chuckle.

As Adam walked into church with Lake, Irae asked him what was wrong because his face was a bit red, and his lips were pulled into a tight line. That only happened when he was upset so she knew something was very wrong. Adam told her to wait until they were in the carriage and riding to the Ponderosa before he could freely discuss it. She assumed it had to do with Lake because he looked as worried as his father did, but Adam refused to relinquish his hold on the boy all through the service and through the christening that followed. In the carriage as Ben drove, Adam turned around and explained to Irae and her mother what Lake had been about to tell the minister with dozens of people close enough to hear as well. When Irae dropped her head at that news, Lake knew he had done something wrong, but still did not understand what it was. He laid his head on his mother's arm as a few tears flowed. That touched Adam's heart as well as Irae's. The boy had meant no harm. He was telling the truth after all but simply didn't understand the difference between private and public information. Irae pulled Lake into a hug after handing Leaf to her grandmother.

As Ben drove the carriage and listened to Adam and Irae, he wondered how they were going to take his news if they were so concerned over a few remarks made so innocently by their young son. He had to wonder what they would say to him having clandestine meetings with a woman in Carson City. He would have told the family much sooner except this was a woman who said that Adam knew her in her previous profession and had been to see her numerous times. He was married now and no longer attended such shows as far as Ben knew, but it was a murky situation. He needed to find a time to discuss this with Adam and hoped that on the roundup and drive he might find some time to talk it over with him. He had no intention of ending the relationship if Adam disapproved or opposed it, but it would certainly be much more pleasant if Adam would be understanding in this situation or at least tolerant if he couldn't be accepting. For now though, he would have to hold his secret.

When Ben drove the carriage up to the house, Adam took Lake and smiled at him letting him know that all was well. Lake smiled in return relieved to know his father wasn't upset with him and then asked if he could go with his uncles into the stable when they took care of the horse. Adam asked Hoss and Joe if they minded watching over his son, and of course they didn't. Ben couldn't help himself and told his younger sons the story that Lake had wanted to tell the minister. Hoss and Joe laughed uproariously, but Lake was upset.

"No, no, Papa said not to tell."

"It's all right, Lake. It's family. We can tell family."

"No, Papa said no."

"Oh-oh, I better take him inside so Adam can explain. This is getting very complicated." Ben walked with Lake to the house and told Adam what he had done and how Lake had responded.

Kneeling down in front of Lake, Adam looked at his father with a frown but addressed Lake. "I wish my father had not repeated that story especially so soon and where you could hear, but it is all right to tell things like that to family. It's not all right to say them to anyone else." Lake frowned in return.

Irae knew he didn't get it. "Adam, he's too young to understand what you're saying."

"I know he is, but I want to tell him the whole truth. Someday he'll understand and he'll know I didn't keep anything from him. For now, we simply need him to know the difference between public and private information. If it happens in the family, it is only for the family to know. That's an important rule for him to remember."

"Papa, what's a family?"

"Everyone in this room is family."

"Uncle Hoss?"

"Yes, and Uncle Joe too."

"Sheriff Roy?"

"Close, but no, and not Doctor Martin."

"Hop Sing?"

"Yes, he is family."

If the family could have seen Hop Sing at that moment, they would have seen tears glistening in his eyes. Waiting to serve dinner, he had overheard the conversation. He had always thought of the Cartwrights as his family, but it touched him every time he realized they thought of him as family too. The rest of the day went smoothly and Lake never shared that story again. Instead of a lock on his bedroom door, Adam put a clock in Lake's room. Lake was taught how to tell when it was six in the morning and told that he could not leave his room until it was that time or his father or mother came to get him. Adam put drawing paper, pencils, chalk, a slate, as well as some picture books and carved animals in Lake's room for him to use to pass the time in the early morning if he was up before that time.

Chapter 3

Kicking off the covers, Ben stood to walk to the window and look out at the quiet street in Carson City. He was doing so many things that he thought he would never do or certainly not for an extended time. He was sleeping with a woman on a regular basis and he was not married to her. She lived in a home that he rented for her, bought her clothing and food on accounts he had set up for her, and delighted in the gifts he brought to her. She was his mistress in every sense of the word. He looked back at the bed where she lay with one arm thrown back across his pillow and the other that had pulled the covers up to her chin as she lay on her side facing him. She was beautiful even in sleep. He felt so lucky that she loved him, and so unlucky that he had not found her before she had spent those years forced to use her beauty to support herself. He was deeply, madly, and thoroughly in love with a retired burlesque dancer who had only given up that career when she had met him. She was approximately Adam's age and unfortunately Adam had seen her dance less than fully clothed a number of times on stage in San Francisco. He had even sent flowers to her dressing room on occasion and taken her to dinner once. There had been nothing more, but Ben suspected that Adam was going to be very uncomfortable with his father being in love with her.

The roundup had been successful and when his younger sons had gone for one last night to celebrate in Virginia City and Adam had gone to spend the night with his family, Ben had come here to be with Patience. He smiled. That was her name and it suited her well. Her stage name had been Cherry Rose. He frowned as the thought about that. He needed to talk to Adam soon, and the drive was the most likely place to do it. Ben had not been on a drive in years, but because it was the first drive combining the herds from the Ponderosa and Whispering Pines ranches, he wanted to be there. It would be an opportunity to talk to Hoss and Joe too about Patience as well giving them time to think about the situation well away from home. He hoped it wouldn't be too distracting because he didn't have a better plan. Patience opened her eyes then

"Ben, what are you doing out of bed. Aren't you cold?"

"No, and I have to go. I'm going to be late as it is. It's my privilege being the head of the family but I can't stay any longer."

"You're going to talk to them then."

"Yes, I'm going to talk with them. When I come home, you're going to be a guest on the Ponderosa. I want them to get to know you."

"Will I be able to share you bed there?"

Sitting on the side of the bed, Ben took her hand and kissed it. "No, I'm afraid not, but I will tell you that I want to marry you as soon after the drive as I can."

"As soon as your sons give their approval?"

"Not their approval although I would like that. I do want them to get used to the idea, and I want them to be ready for some talk because frankly Adam may not be the only man in Virginia City who knows you. It could happen."

"Without my costume and makeup, I don't think I would be recognized. If I had not gone to dinner with Adam, I don't think he would have recognized me either. He might have thought I looked a bit familiar, but I doubt he would have ever made the connection."

"Don't underestimate Adam's memory and ability to put things together. He would likely have worried about it until he did. He's like that and it's why I have to explain it to him. Telling Joe and Hoss ought to be easier. I'll tell them how you came to me for help and how I fell in love with you. They're both romantics at heart."

"They must get that from their father."

"Now, I really have to get dressed and go. I will think about you every day."

"And every night?"

"Especially at night." Ben smiled as he stood and finished dressing. Before he left, Patience stood and embraced him. As he held her, he wished he didn't have to leave. Parting left him sad each time, but he no longer felt lonely. His loneliness of many years had been erased. He would have given her anything, but all she asked of him was his love.

"It will be at least six weeks before I see you again. I'll send you a telegram when I'm on my way back."

"I'll be here."

"I know. It's what will make those six weeks seem so long and yet I feel younger and happier than I have in years." Ben kissed her then but pulled away because he had to go. He smiled and threw her a kiss as he exited the bedroom of the little house where she lived. He hoped that in a few months he would be moving her from that little house into the house on the Ponderosa as his wife. He knew she would agree, but he was still worried about his sons accepting it.

As Ben arrived at the combined herd later that day, he saw his younger sons together and rode toward them. Hoss hailed him first.

"Hey, Pa, glad you could make it. We were wondering when you'd get back here. Adam was late too, but don't you dare say anything to him about it especially about asking him if he won at wrassling this morning." Hoss started chuckling and Joe giggled. Ben knew then that they had probably already had quite a bit of fun at Adam's expense that morning.

"You boys need to be careful how much you tease Adam about being a father. You'll get your turn someday too hopefully, and then turnabout will be fair play."

"Oh, Pa, I only asked him if Irae wanted a rematch to see if she could be on top this time."

"Joseph, that was over the line."

"Pa, it's a cattle drive. There's going to be a lot worse than that said out here."

"Perhaps, but not about a man's wife. I hope you didn't say that where any of the men could hear. I don't want any talk like that mentioning Irae on this drive."

Both Joe and Hoss reluctantly agreed that there would be no more mention of anything having to do with Adam's wife in any of the ribbing they did on the drive. Then they rode to find Adam to see how close they were to actually starting the drive. They found him with two of his best hands, Morgan and Mason. When Ben rode up to him, Adam smiled but that smile faded fast when he saw Hoss and Joe following behind.

"I've already talked with your brothers, and I'm pleased to tell you that they have agreed that there will be no more talk of family affairs on this drive for the purpose of humor. I assume that was something that concerned you?"

With a nod, Adam agreed. "We're ready to go whenever you are. The fences are down and Morgan and Mason are ready to lead them through the gap whenever you give the signal."

"I'd like to have Joe go with them. When our men see that pinto, they'll all know that the herd is moving."

By that night, they had moved the herd a fair distance from the Ponderosa and settled into their first night of the drive. It was a big drive so Adam and Ben were sharing the duties of bossing the drive, and Hoss and Joe were sharing the ramrod duties so that there would always be one of them available. They had two wagons with them. Hop Sing was in one and would be doing most of the cooking. He had two young cousins along. They drove the second wagon with extra supplies, the bedrolls, tarps, and personal belongings so that the horses were not weighed down with unnecessary gear. It was very efficient, but Ben had not realized how difficult that would make it for him to have a chance to talk with Adam about a personal matter. Adam turned in very early every evening because he was up in the early morning hours. Ben did get a chance after four nights to talk with Hoss and Joe at dinner.

"Boys, I wanted to talk with you away from the men because I have a personal matter to explain. You know there have been rumors in town about me seeing a woman in Carson City. In fact, the rumors say that I have a mistress there and have been keeping her in a house and paying her expenses."

"Aw, Pa, we don't pay no mind to rumors like that. We know how people like to gossip about us. Heck, the slightest little thing and they make up big ole stories about us. We know that."

Joe nodded in agreement, and Ben knew that the next thing he said was going to be very difficult for him to say, but it was going to be extremely difficult for his sons to accept especially when he added in more detail.

"Hoss, Joe, this time the gossip is true. I have a mistress in Carson City and I have rented a house for her there, and I have supported her there for months." Ben noted his sons' mouths dropping open, but as they said nothing, he continued. "I was in Sacramento on business, and she recognized me. She came to me and begged me for help. She was in trouble and fleeing some very bad men. I helped her, and in the process, I fell in love with her. I wanted to bring her home, but there was more of a problem than the trouble she was in. Her profession was one that many would find scandalous. She, ah, performed for the public in San Francisco, and Adam was one of her many patrons. She was known to the public there as Cherry Rose."

Joe's voice squeaked with his question. "Does Adam know?"

"No, not yet. I planned to talk with all three of you on this drive, but I haven't had the opportunity yet to talk with Adam. He may find this the most difficult to accept, but I hope you can accept that Patience only lived that life because she didn't see any other way to survive. He saw her on many occasions and even took her to dinner and the theater. I hope that he will accept my relationship with her now as his relationship with her was only casual. She is a very beautiful woman, and I love her. When we get back from the drive, I want to bring her to the Ponderosa as a guest, and when you all get a chance to know her, I want to marry her."

"You're gonna up and marry her, Pa? Cain't ya jest keep doing what you're a doing now?"

"No, Hoss, I can't. It's something that's wrong. I want to do the right thing, and Patience deserves that too. We're going to get married, and I want my sons to accept that. In fact, I hope my sons can be happy for me. I know it's going to take some getting used to, and that's why I told you out here. It gives you a chance to think about it and a chance to talk to each other and to me about it. If you have any questions, you can come to me and I'll give you an honest answer. Fair enough?"

Both Hoss and Joe nodded. Ben thought it had been enough said for one night, and left them to talk together as he went to get a bedroll and to get some sleep. Hoss and Joe watched him go and then looked at each other in dismay. Both had drawn the same conclusion because Ben had not been specific about what Patience had done for a living thinking that his sons would understand that she was a performer with a stage name and therefore worked in the theater and not on her back.

"Hoss, can you believe it? Pa is marrying a soiled dove, a painted lady."

"Yeah, and Adam was one of her customers. I don't want to be there when Pa tells him that a woman he paid money to you know, be with, like they was married, only they wasn't, is gonna be his new stepmother."

"Hoss, maybe we should tell him. It might be less of a shock if we kind of give him a halloo on it before Pa drops it on him."

Thinking a moment before answering, Hoss nodded. "Yeah, I guess it would be easier on him if we told him. We could be there for him to support him and tell him we would do whatever he wanted us to do. Maybe he can think of a way that we can talk Pa out of doing this."

Chapter 4

Because Joe was scheduled to work the early morning with Adam, it fell to him to broach the subject of Patience. It took quite a while for Joe to get around to the topic and it was actually Adam who forced the issue knowing that Joe was trying to talk to him about something but reluctant to say whatever was on his mind. They stopped at the camp to grab some coffee and a quick breakfast. As they were getting fresh horses to head back out, Adam pushed the issue.

"Just spit it out. With you and me, it's never helped to hold back. If you're worried that I'm going to get mad, then know that it will pass and that it won't affect how I feel about you. Now say what you have to say so we can hammer it out whatever it is."

"It's nothing between you and me. We're good. Ever since we were in that work camp together, I've had a new appreciation for you, and I've tried to think a lot more before I say anything."

"Then what is it?"

"Well, it's kind of hard to get around to it. First I have a couple of questions for you. You know how people talked about Irae before the two of you got together?" Joe waited for Adam to acknowledge that. "But it didn't bother you. Why was that?"

"I knew it wasn't true."

"But what if it had been true? Would it have made a difference? I mean, would you have still been interested in her?"

After a bit of thought, Adam nodded. "Yes, she was still the same person. I guess it might have taken me a bit longer to trust her and be sure of her, but I would still have been as interested in her because of the person she is. Why, Joe? What's going on that's making you ask these questions about Irae?"

"Well, It's not about Irae. Last night, Pa brought up the rumors of him seeing a woman. You know, there's the gossip that he has a mistress in Carson City and has her in a house there. Adam, he told us it's true." Joe waited for Adam's look of surprise and disbelief to turn to a frown that meant he wanted more information. "He told us he met her in Sacramento when she came to him because she was in trouble and needed help. He said he helped her but fell in love with her too. Adam, he said she entertained the public. Adam, Pa wants to marry a painted lady."

"What?"

"Keep your voice down or he'll hear you. He wants to talk to you, but Hoss and I thought we should tell you ahead of time. Pa said you had been with her."

"I what?"

"Yeah, Pa said you were one of her patrons."

"Where?"

"San Francisco."

"What did you say her name was?"

"Pa said her name was Patience but her name when she was working was Cherry."

"I don't recall anyone by that name but I have to admit, I didn't always ask for a name. I took a few to dinner and even to the theater although we could only sit in the balcony or in the back, and those I should remember by name, but I don't remember anyone by either of those names either. Are you sure that Pa said that I had been with her?"

"Yes, he said you had been one of her customers."

"Maybe it was a long time ago and I don't remember. If she's with Pa, she might be quite a bit older. Did he say how old she was?"

"No, I think we were so shocked we never asked much of anything." After a moment, Joe had a question. "Gosh, Adam, how many women like that have you been with anyway?"

"None of your business. Now, Pa said he was going to talk with me about this?"

"Yeah, he said he would, but we thought it would be better if you had some idea what he was going to say before he said it. When he told us, it was a real shock. We thought, well, since you'd been with her and all, it might be even worse for you, so we thought we should warn you."

"Thank you for that. I guess it's going to be a difficult conversation when Pa decides to talk with me."

"Adam, Hoss and I were wondering if you could come up with a way to talk Pa out of doing this. I mean he says he's in love with her, but we can't let him do this, can we?"

"Joe, I'll do my best, but if he's made up his mind, then we can't stop him. You know he'll do what he's decided to do."

With a look of abject misery, Joe mounted up on his horse. He looked to the sky then and groaned. Dark clouds were building. He pulled his slicker from behind his saddle which made Adam turn to look too and then he did the same pulling the slicker over his broad shoulders and swinging up into the saddle.

"We better get going. It looks like today is going to be a tough one."

It wasn't only that day but the next two that were difficult with torrential rains that turned the terrain to mud under the feet of a thousand cattle. Horses slipped and men swore and complained. Sleep was hard to get and meals were consumed standing under a tarp slung between trees. By the end of the third day, tempers were short and men were tired. Adam and Joe were doing their best in the early morning of the next day to get the herd moving but the men were less than cooperative. One of them dismounted when his horse began to favor his right foreleg. Adam saw him and realized the danger he was in. He rode hard to get between the man and the herd that could kill him ordering the man to mount up. Realizing too late the danger he was in, the man swung up into the saddle, but in the process startled some of the cattle who whirled and collided with Adam's horse knocking it back into the midst of the herd as it was beginning to move at a faster pace. Adam managed to hold his seat, but he was hurt as was his horse. Joe rode in to help him get free of the herd and then helped him ride back to the camp where Ben and Hoss were finishing breakfast. Joe had him ride right up to the chuckwagon startling the men there until they saw Adam lean over his saddle horn grimacing in pain. Joe dismounted and ran to his side.

"He got gored in the leg and his horse is hurt too."

Getting such an injury was serious but not unusual. The men moved quickly to get Adam from his horse and under the tarp. Two of the men led the horse away to care for it as Hoss and Hop Sing took a look at Adam's leg. It was a reasonably clean wound that was a relief to Ben and Joe who had to leave to go take care of the herd. Hop Sing had his two cousins get busy packing up the camp while he and Hoss tended to Adam's leg.

"Older brother, it ain't too bad, but you ain't gonna be riding for a while. You won't be able to use this leg for at least a week, maybe two. It got you right in the back of your leg there. Nothing too serious but you won't be able to put any weight on that leg. What happened anyway?"

"Mac's horse started to go lame and he got down to take a look."

"What? That was a fool thing to do."

"I know. But everyone's tired with the rain and lack of sleep. He wasn't thinking straight. I rode in to block for him until he could get mounted up, but a couple of cows got spooked and turned back on me. It was bad luck."

"The really bad luck is that we have to irrigate that hole. It's gonna hurt like hell, but once that's done, it should heal just fine. We'll sew it up and you won't even have much of a scar. You want something to bite on?"

Adam nodded and Hop Sing was ready. He handed him a thick strip of cloth twisted into a roll. Adam held it until he saw that they were ready to pour a solution into the wound on his leg. Then he put it in his mouth, bit down, and grabbed the wheel of the wagon just before he felt what seemed to be fire poured into his wound. He had felt a bit cold that morning but suddenly all he felt was heat. Even when he heard Hoss say it was over, he was still trembling with the waves of pain that continued to wash over him although in diminishing intensity. The stitches going in didn't even seem that painful in comparison. When Hoss pressed a thick wad of bandage over the wound and Hop Sing wrapped a bandage around his leg, he closed his eyes and let the exhaustion take him to a half conscious state. He was only half aware of Hoss lifting him into the second wagon where he rested on the bedrolls for the rest of the morning as the wagon rolled forward. When the wagon stopped at midday for a cold meal for the men, the face he saw first was his father who looked terribly worried. He did his best to give him a wan smile.

"I'll stay here for a while yet, Pa. Maybe I'll sleep some more."

"How's your stomach?"

"My stomach? I guess it's all right."

"Here then. Hop Sing sent you biscuits and some tea that's laced with a bit of pain killer."

"Pa, I don't want any laudanum. It tastes awful and gives me nightmares."

"It's not laudanum."

Taking the cup, Adam sipped and then smiled a little. It was sweet tea with his father's good bourbon. "This is a good painkiller."

"Eat the biscuits too. You might get sick otherwise."

Adam had both under his father's watchful gaze, and then leaned back into the bedrolls again and closed his eyes. It didn't take long before he was asleep. Ben took a blanket, unrolled it, and spread it over Adam. He told Hop Sing's cousins to keep a close eye on Adam all afternoon and to let him know if anything changed. They nodded. That evening, Ben was back to wake Adam by touching his forehead to be sure he had not developed a fever. He hadn't so Ben told him he would get some dinner for them, and they could talk. When he came back and started talking about the drive, Adam interrupted him.

"That isn't what I thought we would talk about. I thought you might tell me about Cherry."

"Ah, I should have known your brothers would have told you. She prefers Patience to Cherry Rose. That name was only for the stage. I would have thought you knew that."

Putting his hand up to make his father pause, Adam processed what he had heard. Cherry Rose was a stage name. It was Cherry Rose not Cherry. "Patience? I knew her as Patricia."

"Really? She never told me that. I guess she may have forgotten."

"We went to dinner and the theater. That was all. Why did you think there was anything more?"

"I didn't think there was anything more. Patience told me that too. Why would you think I thought there was anything more?"

With a smile then, Adam shook his head as he understood what must have happened. He told his father what Joe had told him of what Joe and Hoss had understood from what they had been told. Ben's look was priceless and made Adam forget how much his leg hurt.

"Well, I'm going to go find them right now and tell them how wrong they are."

"Oh, no, Pa, let me tell them."

The look that Adam had though let Ben know that he had some scheme in mind though. "What are you planning?"

"Pa, let me tell them a little story. By the time I'm done with them, anything you tell them will seem so tame by comparison, they'll be so relieved, they will be anxious for you to marry Patience." Ben looked dubious. "Pa, trust me. You know how well I can manage my brothers when I plan it."

Ben had to admit that was true. "All right, but before this night is over, I will be telling them the truth."

"Send them to me, Pa. I'm ready."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with them teasing you about wrestling now would it?"

"Now, Pa, do you think I'm vindictive?"

Chapter 5

On the pretense that Adam wanted more biscuits, Ben sent Hoss and Joe to see their brother. He wanted very much to hear what Adam was going to say to them but knew he shouldn't eavesdrop. That didn't stop Hop Sing from listening in. Ben was fairly certain that Hop Sing had heard both conversations that had occurred with his sons already: the one with Hoss and Joe and the one a short time earlier with Adam. He probably had heard Hoss and Joe talking as well. The man hardly missed a thing that happened in the family. At the other wagon, Hop Sing was indeed apparently checking on his two cousins to see that they were doing their jobs properly, and it was only coincidental that he could hear Adam talking to his brothers.

"Now, I know you were shocked by what Pa told you, and I have to admit that at first, it bothered me some too."

"Only at first? Adam, I cain't believe you think it's all right now."

"Hoss, I've talked it over with Pa, and I decided to look at it like a business proposition."

Joe's voice could not have been higher when he responded. "A business proposition?"

"Yes, well we do have extra bedrooms in the house, and we have all these single men on the Ponderosa, and we sometimes have a cash flow problem."

Joe almost jumped back like he had seen a rattler. "You can't mean what I think you mean!"

"Think about it, Joe. This settles all of those issues and in between, it takes care of Pa being lonely. Heck on those Friday and Saturday nights when we head to town, we won't have to feel bad about Pa being all by himself. He won't be."

"You can't be serious? You want Pa to run a house of, well, a well, you know, damn, I can't even say it. Hoss, you want to knock some sense into him. I think losing blood from his leg made him feeble minded."

"Adam, you're joshing us, ain't ya? You're not serious about this, are you?"

"No, Hoss, I met the woman years ago, and she was very good at what she did."

"Now, Adam you shouldn't even be talking that way. I mean, you shouldn't be saying those things."

"But it's the truth. She is very attractive. I think that Pa ought to marry her, and bring her to the Ponderosa. I wouldn't mind getting to know her better myself."

"Now talk like that makes me want to punch you. Ifn you wasn't already laying there all hurt and all, you would be. You cain't talk like that."

"What, I can't talk about her being attractive and coming to live on the Ponderosa, but you can call her a painted lady or a soiled dove? Joe talked about her that way."

"But that was different. We was only trying to warn you. And she is, ain't she?"

"A painted lady?"

"Yeah."

"Painted or a lady?"

"Now you're just being silly."

"Well, what if she isn't a soiled dove or a painted lady? What if she's an actress? Or what if she performed in the burlesque theater? Then would it be all right? What if she's just a lady?"

"But she ain't."

"She isn't what? Are you sure? Have you talked to Pa and asked him what she did? Have you asked what kind of trouble she was in, and why she needed his help? Have you asked him what kind of woman she is?"

"Well, now you just got me all confused. Joe, you tell him what we thought. You tell him what we wanted him to tell Pa."

"I don't know, Hoss. He's got me as confused as you are. I don't know what kind of game he's playing with us, but I know he is."

"Well, now, I guess you'll both have to go wrestle with this dilemma and see who can come out on top." And there it was. They both knew he had thrown down the gauntlet, but neither one knew how to pick it up. He had bested them, and they didn't even know how yet. Adam leaned back and began to eat a biscuit. Chewing could barely conceal the smirk he had.

A short time later at the chuckwagon, Ben watched as Hop Sing cleaned up after the evening meal with his two young cousins helping. Hop Sing looked perturbed and confused. After a short time, Ben heard him say something. He looked over and Hop Sing was smiling and nodding, although he frowned again when Ben addressed him.

"Is there a problem that I can help you with, Hop Sing?"

"No problem. Number one son confuse humble one but now I understand him. Do not understand everyone in family but understand him."

Ben had an inkling of what the problem might be. "Hop Sing, I have been taking the opportunity to talk privately with each member of the family on this drive. I think perhaps it's time that I had that talk with you. Do you have some time to talk right now."

"Hop Sing very busy. Not know how any one person can do all work that Hop Sing must do. I take time to talk with boss. Cannot say no."

Once they were away from the rest of the men, Ben turned to Hop Sing. "Yes, you always have the right to say no, my friend. I am not only your employer, I am your friend for more years than I can count at this moment. I value that friendship more and more each day. Now what I wanted to tell you is that I plan to get married. She is a wonderful woman, but she has a past she would rather forget. It is possible that some will find it less than acceptable that she performed in the theater, but I do not."

"She take Hop Sing's place?"

"No, no, not at all. Patience has no experience in running a household nor living on a ranch. She has some skills with sewing because she had to make her costumes and work with those for years. She'll do that kind of thing, but she doesn't cook at all. Well, she can do the very basic things so I suppose on your days off, she could fill in, but that's it. No one can cook like you can."

"You like Hop Sing cooking?"

"I love your cooking, and without it, Hoss might fade away. I hope that you will stay with us and do all those things that you have done since the boys were little. In fact, with one more in the house, I think it might be time to increase your wages for the work that you do. Is there anything more you would like to say?"

"I very happy to stay, and I help Miss Patience when she come. Mister Adam seem to like her too."

"Yes, I believe he does. Now if I can get my two younger sons to act reasonably, we can all move forward on this. I assume you heard what Adam said to them. I hope he wasn't too hard on them."

"I work with my cousins and maybe hear a little. Mister Adam teach valuable lesson to brothers. He strike like mongoose and take heads off lizards in grass before lizards know what happened. Headless lizards have to come to you now to see where they are going."

Ben smiled because it was very much what he had expected from his eldest son. As usual, he had set things up for his younger brothers to work things out for themselves instead of telling them. It would be an interesting couple of days until that happened. The next day, Adam insisted on driving one of the wagons instead of sitting in the back. He couldn't set the brake though so one of the cousins had to ride with him. The other rode with Hop Sing. As they followed along with the herd, Adam smiled when he caught a few of the looks thrown his way by Joe and he saw the consternation on Hoss. He suspected he would have a visit from Hoss very soon and did. Adam could walk but very stiffly. That night, he got a plate of food and moved away from the wagons to sit on a log that had been downed in a storm. He raised his leg up on the log to be more comfortable. Hoss walked up and set a cup of coffee down next to him.

"Thought you might like that with your dinner."

"Thank you. That was very thoughtful."

"Adam, I'm sorry about teasing you about that wrassling thing. That wasn't nice to tease you about your marriage like that. I shouldn't have done it, and I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Hoss, and I was probably too sensitive about it too. It's all in the past now. We can forget about it."

"Adam, I got to ask you. What do you know about Patience that you didn't tell us, or you told us but I was so confused I wasn't sure what you was telling us?"

"You should probably ask Pa."

"I probably should, but I don't know how to up and ask him. It's easier on me to ask you, ifn you don't mind too much."

"I saw Patience dance in the burlesque theater in San Francisco. I admired her work and thought she was very pretty. I sent flowers backstage and asked her to go to dinner with me. She accepted. She told me her name was Patricia. The next night, I took her to dinner and to the theater. That's it."

"So she's not a painted lady. I thought she was from what Pa said. I guess I didn't understand what he was trying to say."

"Pa was probably trying to be discreet and may not have been as clear as he should have been, but you two should have asked questions instead of jumping to conclusions."

"I know. I'm real sorry about that. Why do you suppose she told you her name was Patricia?"

"She didn't know me and didn't know if she could trust me. She was being careful."

"How old is she? I mean if she went to dinner with you and all."

"She must be about my age."

"Do you think that's kind of funny? I mean you'll have a stepmother who's your age."

"Hoss, if I was seventeen, it would be very weird. However, I have a wife and family, my own ranch, and it's been a long time since I've needed a mother's guidance on anything. I think I can handle it."

"Adam, thanks. I guess I'll go talk to Pa soon as I finish my dinner."

"You going to tell Joe?"

Hoss smirked then. "Nope, don't think I will. Gonna take another lesson from you on that one and teach Joe ifn he ain't learned enough from the first lesson. You know that boy don't always pay good attention to his schooling."

The two brothers chuckled and ate their dinners in companionable silence.

Chapter 6

Before rolling into his bedroll that night, Hoss sought out his father. He found him checking over the herd counts and frowning. Worried that something was wrong, Hoss had to ask.

"Yes, the herd count is too low. We lost quite a few head in those storms. The men riding drag must not have cleared out the brushy areas and side canyons very well. We probably left a hundred cattle back there."

"Whew, that's enough to send some men back to take a look."

"Only if we hold up here for a day or two, and the grass and water here aren't good enough for that."

"If we send two of our best men back, then we wouldn't have to wait on them. They could handle it and catch up to us in a few days."

Ben asked but suspected he knew Hoss' answer before he heard it. "Who would you want to send?"

"Morgan and Mason are the only ones for this job."

"Adam will notice that they're gone, and he'll be upset. He'll want to go back there with them."

"Then we can't let him know until they're gone for at least a day."

"Your brother is going to be very upset with us if he finds out we fooled him like that."

"No, he's going to be very upset when he finds out we fooled him like that, but it's for his own good, and for the drive too. We need those cows to make sure this drive is profitable. He knows that. Morgan and Mason know it too. If they want to take one more man with them, we should let them. We can move a bit slower, but I guess you're right that we can't wait for them."

"Hoss, I'm not going to sleep well until they get back here with those missing cattle. I don't like splitting up like that here in the mountains."

"I don't like it either, Pa, but it's got to be done."

"Hoss, was there something else you wanted to see me about?"

Hanging his head, Hoss wasn't sure exactly how to say what was on his mind but decided to do it like he expected Adam would. He would say it direct and hope for the best. "Well, Pa, about you and Patience, Pa, I'm happy for ya, and I think it's a good thing. I'm looking forward to meeting her."

"I had the feeling you weren't too much in favor of the idea when I first told you. You looked dubious to say the least."

"Well, I reckon I was, but I had a talk with Adam, and well, a talk with Adam usually helps me straighten out my thinking once I figure out what the heck he's saying to me. He's got this way of saying things that makes my heard hurt some and makes me think about things all the way through even if it's like putting a puzzle together while I'm doing it. I done it today and then I went back to him to make sure I did the figuring the right way, and he said I had the lay of the land just right so I came to see you."

"I'm very pleased that you came to see me, Hoss. It makes me feel very good to know that two of my sons have already accepted my decision and you haven't even met her. I'm very pleased too that Adam's talk with you helped you."

"You know, Pa, Adam woulda made a darn good teacher. He's better at that kind of stuff than any teacher I ever had. He don't just teach ya stuff, he teaches ya how to learn stuff on your own too. Ya know, how to work it out for yourself instead of just telling ya what to think or do."

"Yes, he's a good teacher. It's what makes him a good father already to Lake."

"Well, he had a darn good teacher there too."

"Thank you, son. Now, let's get some sleep."

What was left unsaid was what the youngest and most volatile Cartwright son might still be thinking. It was the next morning before that began to be worked out step by step. The first step was Joe stopping by to see Adam.

"By the look on your face, I'm guessing you're upset with me for some reason."

"You bet I am. Why didn't you tell me right away that she wasn't what I thought she was? If you knew, you could have told me and then we wouldn't have worried so much."

"I didn't know then. Her name on stage was Cherry Rose not Cherry so I didn't make the connection right away. When I took her to dinner and the theater, she told me her name was Patricia and not Patience so I never connected those two either. It didn't take long when I was talking with Pa for the whole matter to be cleared up. A few questions and answers did the trick."

"I suppose you think that I should have asked Pa a few questions too and then he would have answered and none of this misunderstanding would have happened?" Adam's silence was the answer. "I suppose I shouldn't have said anything to anyone including you until I was sure of my information instead of making assumptions?" Joe got the same response. Joe was quiet for a short time too. "Was it your plan all along once you knew the truth? You were going to make us suffer a bit so that we would be glad Pa was marrying a burlesque dancer because in comparison to what we thought he was going to do, that was a lot better?" Adam shrugged. "Damn, you're good. I never would have thought like that. You know you're right too. It does seem a lot better than what I thought Pa was going to do, but how do I tell him?"

"Joe, you tell him. It's all he wants."

"He wants his sons to be happy for him."

"That's it. She is a nice lady. I remember her well enough to remember that."

"Why didn't anything happen between the two of you then?"

"I stood her up. I got involved in negotiations and had to send a note that I couldn't make dinner the second night and then the third. Then it was time for me to leave town and get back home. I never saw her again. It wasn't anything serious if you're thinking that. She was a pleasant companion when I was alone in San Francisco. There were other women like her. None of them were ever anything serious."

"So if I ever meet a woman from San Francisco, I should check with you to see if you know her?"

"Joe, there are thousands of women in San Francisco. The odds are, I wouldn't have known her."

"All right, then, I'm going to go see Pa."

As Joe walked away, Adam smiled and whispered almost to himself. "Of course, there's Sacramento and Placerville and Reno and Denver."

Hop Sing was on the other side of the wagon and heard the comment as he had heard the conversation. He smiled at the humor but was relieved that those days were over. He had worried at the quiet womanizing that the eldest son had done. Thankfully nothing bad had happened in all of those years, but it was much nicer now to see him settled and happy with a wife and children. Hop Sing gathered up the items he had collected from that wagon and moved quickly toward the other wagon so that he wouldn't miss the next step in this family drama that was so entertaining. He knew that at the next visit with his cousins, it would make for an entertaining tale although he of course would change all the names and make it a family in China and all the men would be nobles. He did wonder at times if his cousins knew that his Cartwright family was the rich source for his elaborate and exciting tales that were better than any stories anyone else could tell. Hop Sing got back to the chuckwagon barely in time to hear Joe talk to his father. He often had to remind himself how fast the youngest could be at everything.

"Pa, I'm sorry it took so long to tell you this. I had to think a lot about it, but I'm happy for you and Patience, and I look forward to meeting her."

"Thank you, Joe. It means a great deal to me to have my sons willing to trust my judgment and welcome Patience into the family. She'll be a guest in our home until we can marry."'

"When will that be?"

"As soon as I can arrange things when I get back. I'll send her a telegram as soon as we get to a town where I can do that so she can start making preparations for the move and the wedding. I think it won't be long after we get back as long as Hop Sing can get a big wedding celebration ready." Leaning toward the back of the wagon, Ben talked only marginally louder. "That won't be a problem, will it, Hop Sing?"

"No, Mister Cartwright, no problem." was the immediate answer making both men smile. They knew as did Adam and Hoss that Hop Sing knew everything that happened in the family.

"Now did you thank your brother for helping you with this decision?"

"Uh, you mean Adam? Uh, how did you know, well, I guess you would know because you talked with him too. Yeah, I guess I ought to thank him. He does have a way of making me take the time to think that I ought to. Pa, have you noticed how the four of us are so much better together than the four of us are separately?"

"Yes, I have noticed that on occasion."

"I wish we could all work together all the time."

"There are times I wish that too, but I know that wouldn't work out any better than it did before. We need time apart as much as we need time together. The key is to find the right balance. We may have that now, and I hope we can keep it."

"We will. It's working out very well on this drive, don't you think?"

"Yes, except for missing about one hundred cattle and Adam getting hurt."

"We'll get the cattle back or most of them, and Adam isn't hurt badly. It just hurts him a little. When he heals up, Hoss said he won't have much more than a short scar there. He's walking with only a slight limp now."

"Your brother is quite good at hiding pain so don't let that fool you. He wants to get up on a horse again so he's trying to convince us, especially me, that it's not bothering him much. I'm going with what Hoss said though which was at least a week of no riding. He's going to get surly before the week is up unless we can find something more important for him to do than to drive a wagon."

"We could use some supplies. Some things got wet with all that rain. Tomorrow, he could take the wagon and head over to that little town and see about some supplies for the next leg of the drive. He should be back by night because he'll be taking a shorter route cutting across the angle to where we're going."

"Joe, that's a good plan. Hoss can go with him. That's the town where his lady friend is. He wanted to stop on the way back to spend some time with her. Seeing her even briefly on the way through should cheer him up too."

That plan worked well for Adam keeping him busy for another day and then keeping him busy the following day doing an inventory of supplies. It was Hoss who surprised everyone. He came back not in a jovial mood but very quiet and apparently quite worried. When Ben asked Adam, he didn't know what happened.

"Usually I can get him to talk, but while I was at the general story getting what I could get and bargaining over prices, Hoss went to see her. When he came back, he was the way he is now, and he wouldn't talk about it."

Chapter 7

By the next day, Joe wanted Adam or Ben to talk with Hoss. As camp was being packed up in the morning, he rode back in to talk with his father and oldest brother. "He's so down I'm afraid he's going to get hurt. I already got one brother limping around camp. I don't want to see the other one hurt too."

Immediately concerned, Ben wanted to know why he thought Hoss would get hurt.

"He's not paying much attention to what's going on around him. Adam got hurt when a drover did that. What's going to happen if Hoss does something stupid? Who's going to be there to protect him?"

"Have you tried to talk with him?"

"Pa, Hoss isn't likely to open up to me about this. I think something happened with Lucia. It has to be that. Like Adam said, he went to see her and changed his whole mood, and with stuff like that, he talks to the two of you better than he talks to me. You two have better experience with that kind of thing than I do."

Making an executive decision, Ben looked expectantly at Adam who stared back at him. "It's my job?"

"I've got to be trail boss by myself while you're laid up. This is a trail boss responsibility, handling one of the men who has a problem that's interfering with his work and the safety not only of him but of the rest of the men who might be in danger if he isn't focused on his work. It's one of the duties you can perform despite your injury, so yes, this is your job."

"He's rather prickly about this. If he gets mad, I won't be able to get out of reach fast enough."

"Well, then, you better be very careful what you say so you don't have to get out of reach fast enough to avoid anything, now don't you?"

Looking perturbed for only a moment, Adam turned to Joe. "All right, ramrod, send Hoss to me at lunch. Tell him he has no choice because the trail boss needs to talk with him. It's an order."

With his voice about an octave higher, Joe answered. "Me? Why do I have to tell him that you want to see him?"

"Because everyone this morning seems to want to pull rank and pass the job onto someone else, and it's your job to give the men their orders. So, go give the man his order."

With a few hours to prepare, Adam handed the driving duties over to Hop Sing's cousin and thought about what he would say to Hoss and how he would approach whatever it was that was bothering him so much. He thought it through as well as he could and came up with two likely scenarios. Hoss wasn't angry so he guessed that one scenario was more likely than the other. He decided to try that one first. If it wasn't correct, at least it might shock Hoss into revealing what was bothering him so much after seeing Lucia. As lunchtime approached, he felt more nervous. Never comfortable sharing his own feelings and personal misgivings, he was reluctant to try to drag them out of Hoss too, but knew that he had to do it for Hoss' safety and well-being. When he saw Hoss' demeanor when he arrived, he decided that the best way was going to be to shock him as he had planned. Once they grabbed a plate of food and moved away from the others, he began with both barrels.

"So, you went to see Lucia, and you came back here as surly as a grizzly during a drought. Is Lucia going to have a baby?"

Hoss' look of stupefaction couldn't have been more complete. Adam waited for his reaction because he knew there would be one, and that would determine how this conversation would proceed.

"How did you know that? I never said nothing."

"I guessed. It was that or she ended your relationship. If she did that, I guessed you would be angry as well as sad. You only looked like the world was on your shoulders weighing you down. I thought it had to be the first option. What I don't understand is why it has made you so unhappy. You were going to court her. I had assumed that meant you wanted to marry her. At some point that would have meant she would have had babies."

"Yeah, but I messed it all up. Her parents wanted me to take her away with me and take her back home with me and then marry up with her and all, but I've got the drive here, and I can't do it." A frown was Hoss' only answer and that frustrated him. "You could say something instead of just looking at me like that."

"I kept my mouth shut because the first words I thought of to say were insulting. Now I'm ready to speak more rationally. You're feeling guilty."

"Course I am. Who wouldn't?"

"I wouldn't. There's no point in feeling guilty. I did much too much of that in my life. You did what you did. You thought about it and decided that it was the right thing to do and did it, or you thought it was wrong and did it anyway, or you didn't think and acted on impulse. It doesn't matter because it's already done. You can't undo it. It's over. You can only look to the future and what you're going to do next."

"So I don't do nothing about what I done?"

"If need be, you say you're sorry. What is more important is for you to decide what you need to do next, and give everything you've got to getting that done. What is it that you want most? What is it that you need to make you happy?"

"I want to marry Lucia and take care of her and our baby, but what are people going to think with me bringing home a woman and then marrying her and she's already carrying our child?"

"It's your decision and your life. You decide in your heart and in your mind what you need to do and then you do it. It doesn't matter what other people think. At the end of your life, when you look back at this decision, will you be able to say you did the best you could do?"

Taking off his hat and dropping his head, Hoss sat silently for several minutes. Adam let him have the time he needed. Hoss sat up when he had his answer ready. "No, I ain't done the best I could do, not by a long shot."

"So, what's next?"

"Well, trail boss, I'm quitting the drive, but I need some money ifn that would be all right cause I ain't quitting the family. I got a woman I need to go marry first and then take her home to the Ponderosa."

"What about her family? They will not be happy that you're marrying her in town there at such short notice because that means that everyone will know why."

"Heck when we tell 'em that we had a baby, they're all gonna know. Enough of 'em got calendars and can count. This way they'll just know sooner. I'm gonna go tell Pa. Is Joe around?"

"My guess is that he's skulking about somewhere close by so that he can find out how well I did talking with you."

"So it was his idea?"

"It was."

"I'm gonna do my best to scare that rascal before I tell him the good news. Adam, thank you. Sometimes it really helps to have an older brother who can help me get my thoughts in order when they're all messed up."

"You're welcome, and congratulations on two counts. Now you go tell Pa and Joe while I get the cash box and get you some traveling money." Adam chuckled then as he heard Hoss call out. He could imagine his little brother suddenly needing to relieve himself with that booming voice calling for him.

"Joe! Joe Cartwright! Where are you, you little rascal?"

Within an hour, Hoss had told his father, Joe, and Hop Sing. He collected his gear and packed it on an extra horse. Adam gave him traveling money and wished him well as did Ben and Joe. Hoss had a big smile as he rode away from the drive heading back in the direction they had come. He met Morgan, Mason, and another drover with over eighty cattle as he rode away. When they arrived, Mason reported to the Cartwrights.

"We found most of them in one draw. They headed up that way and then there was no way out. We found some dead ones, and there were some that we probably didn't find, but we thought that it was important to get this group back. We found eighty-five but we have about ten unaccounted. Do you want one of us to head on back to look for them?"

"No, ten is a loss we can afford, and that's not enough of a loss to risk a man. We lost Hoss and Adam's is still laid up, so we need you here. I'd like one of you to help Joe with ramrod duties for the rest of the drive. The pay is double what you've been making as a drover."

"Then, Morgan ought to take the job. He's married and could use the extra money more than me."

However Joe had a better solution. "Morgan and Mason are new at the job. Why don't they both help me, and we can give each of them a fifty percent pay increase?"

Mason smiled at that and agreed saying he thought Morgan would like the idea too. The brothers enjoyed working together. For the rest of the drive, things went smoothly. For Hoss, things proceeded a bit less smoothly, but he had done what Adam suggested. In his mind and heart, he decided what was important and was committed to seeing it through. When he arrived in the little town where he had first met Lucia when he had come into town to get supplies for a previous cattle drive, he went directly to her house. Her mother was surprised to see him again so soon.

"Ma'am, I've come for Lucia. I want to marry her and take her back to the Ponderosa as my wife."

"Oh, Hoss, I hope that you plan to marry her quietly at your home so people won't know that you had to marry."

"Ma'am, folks got calendars. They're gonna know. What I want them to know is that I love your daughter, and I ain't at all ashamed we're gonna have a baby. It's gonna happen a bit sooner than folks think it oughta, but that's just what people think. That baby is gonna be loved and have two parents who love each other. I hope you know that. Now is Lucia here?"

With tears in her eyes but a joyful smile, Lucia came from the next room to greet Hoss with a hug. "I heard everything you said. I love you more now than I ever did."

"Well, got get your best dress on. We're getting married."

"Hoss, the minister only comes to town every other week for services. We only have a part-time sheriff. He's the justice of the peace too. I guess he'll have to do it if you want to get married today."

"I do." Hoss smiled at his own choice of words. "We can have a wedding with the minister when we get home. We'll have a big party too when my family gets back. You can meet my brother Adam's wife and his two children. I'll show you all around the Ponderosa and get you used to where everything is. We're gonna be real happy. I know we will."

"Yes, we will, Hoss. I love you."

The little town had no hotel. Hoss spent his wedding night in Lucia's room at her parents' house. Her father had wanted to object to Hoss' plans but Hoss wouldn't hear of it. He insisted that he was doing it his way and her father accepted it. Lucia liked this side of Hoss that she had not seen before and told him. The next morning, her parents gave them a ride to the next town so they could take a room and wait for the stage that was due there the next day. They did have a bigger general store there but still no jewelry. Hoss said that the first thing they were going to do in Virginia City was to stop and buy a ring.

"But Hoss, then everyone will know."

"Darling, that's exactly what I want. I want everyone to know." He smiled and she knew he was happy about his decision. That made her relax too.

"What made you change your mind about things?"

"My older brother Adam who you met that one time. You said he scared you. Well he ain't scary at all. You're gonna find that out. He asked me if at the end of my life would I look back and say I done my best here. I knew I hadn't so I knew I had to do it different. That's when I knew what I had to do so I could say I did my best here. This is my best, darling."

"Hoss, I like your best. In fact, I love your best."

Chapter 8

It took a few days for Hoss and Lucia to travel to Virginia City. She had not traveled much and each part of the journey was exciting for her. Her family had come west when she was about three years old and settled on the western slope of the Sierras. She hadn't left there since. Traveling through the mountains that she had only seen in the distance had been exciting for her but not as exciting as being married and spending each night resting beside her husband after making love with him. It was so much more satisfying than the brief trysts they had been able to have on his short visits in the past. She enjoyed the opportunity to touch, caress, and kiss him as much as he did with her. She swore that everyone who saw them must know what they did at night by the smiles they could not seem to stop doing whenever they looked at each other during the day. Whenever she looked up or over to see Hoss looking at her, she naturally found her facial muscles snapped to attention and made her smile. As the stage rolled up the hill then into Virginia City, she wondered at the tighter expression that Hoss had and she felt the tension in his hand that was holding hers tighter and tighter.

"Hoss, Hoss, you're hurting my hand."

"What, oh, Luce, I'm so sorry. I guess I'm kinda nervous."

"Why are you nervous? You've been so happy to tell everyone that we're married. Why are you so nervous now?"

"Well, I done told all those people who were strangers, but now I gotta tell people who I know, and I want them to be happy for me, for us, and I don't know how I'm gonna feel if they don't smile right back at me. It's gonna be a big surprise cause I never told anyone except my family that I was going over to your town to see you."

"Hoss, it might be quite a shock for some of them if they didn't even know that you were seeing someone. You weren't even officially courting me yet, but if they're true friends, they'll be happy for you. It might be a good test of friendship because if they're not happy for you when you are so clearly happy, then I would wonder why not."

A couple who had traveled with them for their entire journey from California and who were continuing on to Denver leaned listened as the couple discussed Hoss' worries. The woman took the chance to interrupt. "Hoss, you have quite a gem in this one. Remember to treasure her always. She speaks very wisely for one so young. Yes, your friends should be happy for you because you are happy, and they should trust your judgment because they trust you. If they don't, I would wonder too at the quality of their friendship."

"Yes, ma'am, I know I got myself quite a treasure, bigger than the whole Comstock. She reminds me a little of my older brother Adam. He thinks like that too always seeing through to the heart of the matter and ignoring the stuff that don't really count. I'm better now. I needed someone to remind me of what's important, and I got her right beside me. No one is more important than her. As long as I got Luce, then I got the best friend a man could ever have."

"Young man, from the stories you have been telling us for the past few days, you have a wonderful family too. I would so like to meet them someday. Perhaps when we return this way after visiting our son and his family in Denver, we could stop and visit with you and your wife and meet this extraordinary family of yours."

"Ma'am, I would surely enjoy that. You and Mr. Tanner are welcome anytime. You can ask anyone in town here how to get to the Ponderosa and they can tell you. I'd be plumb tickled pink to see you two again."

"Thank you. Merle and I would be delighted to do that. Wouldn't we, Merle?"

"Oh, yes, Claire, delighted, if only to hear more of these tales that our friend Hoss can spin. It would be worth the trip if only to hear more wonderful stories. The one about young Lake in the restaurant charming the ladies and embarrassing his father was quite funny. I would like to meet this boy. I could fashion a character in one of my books after him, I believe."

"Oh, Merle, please don't do that. My brother Adam would be furious ifn he thought that any of his family story was written about in a book without his permission and he would never give his permission. I mighta stepped over the line telling stories like that, but I never meant that any of them could be used in a book."

"Don't you worry, Hoss. You're a friend already, and I would never violate a friendship like that. I'll see if there's a way to write it without violating the family privacy and I would check with you and your brother before any of it was ever published."

"Thank you, Merle."

But Hoss was a bit ill at ease about that until the stage stopped and he saw Roy waiting to see who was getting off the stage in his town. Hoss turned to Luce and told her who the man was and then smiled. He knew Roy would welcome the news. It was good to know that the first person he told in Virginia City would smile when he found out that Hoss Cartwright was married. Hoss exited the stage after Merle and Claire and then turned to help Luce step down. He held her hand and turned to Roy who noticed the handholding.

"Roy, I would like to present Missus Hoss Cartwright. Luce, this is Sheriff Roy Coffee. He ain't exactly part of the family but he's as close as you can be without being a relative."

With a smile at Hoss introduction, Roy stepped forward. "Pleased to meet you, Missus Cartwright."

"Please call me Lucia or Luce. My family calls me Luce but my given name is Lucia. I go by either."

"Well, Lucia is right pretty and so are you. I can see why Hoss decided it was time to up and get hitched. Them Cartwright boys wait until they get the perfect bride for themselves. Now I thought you was on the cattle drive with your family, Hoss."

"I was, but I quit the drive to marry Luce and bring her on home. Pa, Adam, and Joe didn't need me so much especially once they got on through them mountains and Adam's leg was healing up and they found them cattle they lost. Now I ain't had a chance to buy Luce a ring and then we gotta find a restaurant cause I'm powerful hungry and then we gotta rent a carriage cause I want to show her some of the Ponderosa before it gets dark."

It was as close to a speech as Hoss was ever likely to make and Roy was reeling with all of the news, but he did have one thing to tell Hoss. "You won't have to rent a carriage if you get on over to the general store. I saw Irae and her two there not more than a half hour ago. She's got the big carriage from the Ponderosa so I'm guessing she's stocking up on supplies of some sort. You could probably ride with her. She would be tickled pink to meet your bride now too, wouldn't she?"

"Is Martha with her?"

"Course she is. I don't think any one person can keep up with those two young'uns of hers. Now, I gotta get on with my rounds. You two got my congratulations, and I hope there's gonna be a right big wedding party coming up soon on the Ponderosa."

With a big grin because Hoss knew Roy was going to be getting more surprising news in the near future, Hoss agreed with that, and then set their bags on the walk before heading hand-in-hand with Luce toward the general store to meet Irae, Martha, and the children. There was quite a commotion as they neared the general store including repeated apologies from Irae to a very disgruntled large woman who was red-faced with anger.

"I'm sorry. My son is quite young and still needs to learn the difference. He will be taught but for now all I can do is to apologize again."

"Well, perhaps you should keep that unbridled brat at home until he learns some manners."

"My son is not an unbridled brat. He is two and simply says what he observes."

"He's like his father. He is uncouth and contemptible."

"And you're fat. He was right to mistake you for being with child. You look like you have a litter in there so I can see why he was confused."

"Oh, lordy!" Hoss let go of Luce's hand and rushed to try to stop the confrontation before it got any worse. He got himself between Irae and the woman who had been so offended when Lake had asked her how many babies she was going to have. However her insults to Lake and then to Adam had set off Irae making the whole situation escalate drawing a crowd amused by the spectacle.

"Irae, dontcha think it might be best if we got the children out of here before they hear some things they ought not to hear?"

Surprised to see Hoss, Irae was stunned enough to forget about the confrontation. "Nothing bad happened, did it? Why are you back? Are the others back?"

"Nothing bad, well nothing too bad, but I'm back cause I had to do something else, and the others went ahead with the drive. Come on, now, let's get the children and Martha and get on outta here."

The other woman with no adversary to attack turned on her heal and walked the other way as Hoss escorted Irae to where Luce was waiting for them. Martha had Leaf in her arms and Lake obediently walked by her side knowing that he had done something wrong but not at all sure what it had been.

"Irae, Martha, I want you to meet Missus Hoss Cartwright, Luce. Luce, this is Irae and her mother, Martha. You know I done told you all about them."

"Hoss, you're married? That's what you had to do?" Irae was nearly speechless. She shook Luce's hand but her eyes except for a few seconds were on her brother-in-law.

"Yep, had to do it, but it's the best decision I ever done made in my life. Adam helped me see what I had to do. Now, let's all get on over to a restaurant, and I can tell you all what happened. Luce knows of course, but you all need to hear the story, and then I want to know what happened back there."

"Oh, that's an easy story to tell, but I'm not sure Lake even knows why that woman got so upset. She even tried to slap Lake. I pulled him away before she did. He saw her and everyone can see the belly on her. Well Lake asked her how many babies she was going to have."

Hoss laughed then. "She ain't even married. With the size of her, I doubt anyone could even fit in a bed with her."

"Hoss, not in front of the children."

"Yes, dear. I'm sorry."

That made Irae and Martha smile. Luce was already preparing Hoss to be a father, and with the suddenness of the marriage, it wasn't difficult to guess the reason.

"So, Hoss, is there another little secret you have for us?"

That made Hoss turn beet red and Luce turned bright pink too.

"I guess you don't have to say that one. We guessed. Now, when we sit at the table, you can tell us all about yourself, Luce, and Hoss can tell us all about the drive and the 'nothing too bad' that happened."

Chapter 9

Hearing that Adam had been injured even if it was a fairly minor injury had Irae a bit upset, but Hoss did his best to reassure her telling her that Adam couldn't ride mainly because he couldn't put any pressure on his foot because his calf muscle was too sore and restricted with the wound.

"He was driving the second wagon and being as ornery as can be about it so you know he was fine. He ain't never ornery until he wants to do what he cain't do and then he's like a cougar in a cage that ain't been fed for a week. You don't want to be sticking your fingers too close cause you're likely to lose one or two."

"He is scary then."

"Nah, Luce, ifn he was to scare you, and you shed a tear, he would be begging you to forgive him. I'm thinking that Irae knows that and may have already made him pay a time or two for being his ornery self."

Irae did her best to look innocent, but her mother's laugh gave her away. They all had a chuckle then at Adam's expense that they would never dare do if he were there. Once that was done, Hoss explained that they had some bad weather which had led to some cattle wandering off but that Morgan and Mason had been able to locate most of them and bring them back. Then Irae wanted to know more about Luce and her family. Luce was quiet so Hoss told her story.

"Her family settled on the western slope of the Sierras about twenty-five years ago. She was married when she was twenty but he died in an accident on their farm about five years ago. She's worked in the general store in town there since and that's where I met her last year in the spring. It's where I've been going every chance I could get to visit with her and see ifn she would consent to me calling on her."

"Apparently she must like you as much as you like her."

"I do."

"Well, not at first you didn't." Hoss smiled at Luce when he said that and she had to smile and nod in agreement.

"I thought he was a cowboy without a steady job. He seemed to be around quite a lot for a man with a job."

"I had to convince her that my family had a ranch and I had that time to see her in between all the work we had to do on the ranch. Once her and her family believed me on that score, then she accepted me and things got better between us."

"Hoss, how much does Luce know about the ranch and the family?"

"Uh, well I told her all about you and Adam and Lake and Leaf. I told her about Pa and Joe and how we live at the house and how Hop Sing is our cook. I told her that we all work so we can keep the ranch running and all. She understands hard work. Her family works hard too. I told her that you and Adam have your own ranch too."

"Yes, it's going to be nice to have a sister-in-law and family to see. It was rather isolated where I lived before. It's going to be so much nicer to have people around."

"Luce, you do know that we live outside of town."

"Well, yes, I know that. I knew that I was going to be living on a ranch. Hoss told me that right from the start. I hope that we can have our own house someday though. It could be kind of crowded with all of us in one house together."

"And you haven't met Ben, Adam, and Joe yet?"

"No, I haven't but I'm looking forward to that. Hoss speaks so highly of them that I know they must be very wonderful too."

Sharing a little smile with her mother, Irae wondered how surprised Luce was going to be to find out that she had married into one of the wealthiest families in Nevada. It wouldn't have been something that Hoss would have ever thought important enough to discuss nor would he have thought to mention the size of the Ponderosa. Whispering Pines would have been enough to impress the young woman, but when she saw the Ponderosa, she was going to be awestruck. The whole experience was likely to leave her amazed. Perhaps it was best that the rest of the family wasn't there. It would give her time to adjust before they got home. Hoss was so used to the size of the Ponderosa and the home that he had that he probably had no idea how it was going to affect his bride. Irae wondered if she should say anything to him before he took Luce to the ranch house. She had a couple of hours to think that over.

Once lunch was done, Irae and Martha went back to the general store to increase the supply order because Hoss and Luce were going to need supplies too. Hoss and Luce went to the jewelry store that Irae recommended. Once they were there, Luce didn't want Hoss to spend the money. She whispered to Hoss when the owner went in the back to get a tray of rings to show to them.

"Hoss, these rings are all too expensive. I don't know why Irae sent us here. There must be a place in Virginia City where the rings aren't so expensive."

"She said this is where Adam bought jewelry for her, and that it's the best place in town for the money. Now, don't you worry none. You only get one wedding ring in your life so it's got to be a good one."

The owner pointed out the style of ring that Adam had purchased for Irae and suggested that if they wanted a simpler version then they could come back in a few days.

"No, I like that one right there ifn it fits her finger."

The owner took it from the tray and slid it on Luce's finger. It needed to be adjusted a little. When it was sized, he handed it to Hoss. "Best you put it on your wife's finger now that it's ready."

With a big grin, Hoss slid the ring on Luce's finger. He whispered to her. "I do." Then he looked into her eyes and saw tears. "Darling, don't ya like it?"

"Hoss, it's the most beautiful ring I've ever seen, but how will you ever pay for it?"

Chuckling, Hoss looked at the owner and asked him if he would put it on his account until he could get to the bank.

"Certainly, Mr. Cartwright. It's always a pleasure doing business with the Cartwrights." He motioned for Hoss to come closer and whispered to him so that Luce couldn't hear. "I have a matching set of earrings and a necklace. If you wish, I could set it aside for a Christmas or anniversary gift in the future?" Nodding, Hoss smiled and asked how much that would cost. "A small down-payment would hold them until you want them."

"All right. Put that on my account too."

Pleased to have two Cartwright accounts, the jeweler hoped that the rumors about Ben Cartwright were true. Perhaps there would be a third account soon.

With her hand held carefully in front of her, Luce walked with Hoss to the general store to meet Irae and Martha. The supplies were loaded in the back of the carriage and with some work, they tied their bags to the back as well. Hoss' horses were tied to the back, and then the six of them climbed into the carriage. It was a tight squeeze but with Lake on his mother's lap and Leaf sitting on Martha's lap, it wasn't uncomfortable. Irae suggested that Hoss drive them to Whispering Pines first.

"We've been using the carriage, but you probably want to give Luce a tour. You can drop us off and still have a few hours to show her some of the ranch."

"Only some of the ranch? Is it that difficult to get around the ranch? I mean I know it's up here in the mountains, but you raise cattle and horses so I thought it wouldn't be too difficult to get around."

"Luce, it's just that a ranch is so much bigger than a farm."

"Oh, I know that. I was ready for that."

Irae smiled especially when Hoss looked back at her. He was suddenly beginning to understand that Luce had no idea about the size of the Ponderosa. She had seen the way Luce had reacted to the rather modest ring Hoss had purchased for her. It had nearly overwhelmed her. She was probably starting to calculate the cost of the rooms they had taken, the meals they had eaten, and the cost of the stage ride. With the cost of the ring, she was probably thinking that Hoss had spent far too much money without realizing that for this family, his spending had been very modest indeed. When they got to Whispering Pines, Luce's eyes were very big.

"You and Adam must be rich!"

"Luce, Whispering Pines is about one fourth the size of the Ponderosa. Adam got this ranch from my father. He of course is also one of the owners of the Ponderosa."

The rest of the afternoon was a series of revelations for Luce. Irae had told Hoss to try to be gentle in how much and how fast he told her all that the family owned but it was still a shock to her. By that night when she slipped into bed and waited for Hoss, he smiled as he saw her put both of her hands to the top of her head as if she was searching for something.

"Did you miss some pins when you was taking down your hair?"

"No, after today, I'm sure my dreams have come true and I'm a queen in a fairy tale world. I was checking to see if I had a crown. I must have a crown somewhere because I feel like royalty."

"Darling, you are a queen. You are the ruler of my heart."

"And you, Hoss, are a king."

"You had no idea what the Ponderosa was?"

"No, Mama and I thought it was funny that you gave your ranch a name like that. Most ranches we knew about were called things like the Bar W and the Circle T. She is never going to believe me when I write to her and tell her what I found out today. She's going to think you gave me something to drink and then I wrote her a letter."

"Well, we're gonna have a big party to celebrate our wedding. They'll all be invited. She can come see for herself."

"Hoss, I don't think they can afford to travel all that way for a party."

"We'll send them the tickets for the stage then, and we'll find them a place to stay when they're here."

"You would do that?"

"Shur I would. They're family now. They gotta come to the party." Then Hoss remembered something very important. "Oh, there's going to have to be another party. I got to tell you something else. It's about Pa and a lady named Patience."

By the time Hoss finished telling that story, Luce was almost unable to believe him. "Hoss, if someone read about your family in a book, they would never believe the story. The things you have told me about Adam and Irae and what happened to Martha, about things that Lake has said, about things that Joe has talked you into doing, and so on are just so unbelievable, except I believe you so I know they happened. There's probably more too, isn't there?"

Hoss nodded.

"Well, we have other things to do now. Come to bed. We can talk more in the morning or later tomorrow. We have other things to do now."

"Darling, you don't have to tell me twice."

"Hoss, I think I already did."

Chapter 10

"I'd like to spend some time in the city. Why do we have to rush back?"

While Adam smirked, Ben answered. "Because we have family whom we have missed and would like to see again soon. Adam has two small children who miss him. After what happened last year, Lake is likely to be worried."

"How about if I stay here with the men who want to stay for a few days and relax after a hard drive? You know the men aren't going to be happy with your decision to head back right away."

If Joe wasn't so earnest in his request and his Pa working so hard at keeping a neutral expression, Adam would have started laughing. Instead, he busied himself shaving glad to have something to do that kept him facing away from the two but with a mirror so he could watch them. Joe and Hoss had of course been with the hands in the city before as had Adam, Hoss, and Joe, but Joe had never done that alone. He was a man and deserved the chance to do this. Adam wanted to tell his father to say yes and they could pack and be on their way, but this was a rite of passage for his father as well as for his brother. Both needed to do this.

"Joe, are you sure you want to do this by yourself? If something happens, you'll be on your own with no backup."

"Pa, the men will back me up. Most of them have worked for us for years. They have fought for us and stood up for us whenever we needed them. They won't let me down if I need help. You and Adam need to go home, and I need to stay here. It's as simple as that."

"Yes, I guess it is as simple as that. Adam and I do need to go home, but we could wait a few days." Adam almost turned around at that point and it took a gargantuan effort not to intervene because he was not going to stay and watch over grown men when he could be heading home to be with his wife and children. He didn't need to do anything though. Apparently his father's desire to be home was as strong as his. "But we don't need to stay. You can handle this. I'll make sure you have enough money to cover expenses and we'll take the rest as a bank draft."

Before their father could change his mind, Adam volunteered to go make travel arrangements. They could be home in two days if they traveled by train which is what he wanted to do. Joe and the hands could bring their horses back with them when they came home. Within an hour, Adam was back with tickets and told his father to hurry as they had a train to catch as soon as they finished at the bank. Ben smiled and told Joe to be careful before following Adam out the door and down the hall. There was time to talk on the train and Adam and Ben did some talking about all the changes that were occurring in the family.

"I would like Hoss and Lucia to stay at the house. I know that Hoss might like his own house, but for now, it would be nice if he would stay. Do you think you could make some changes to the house to give him and Lucia more privacy? Perhaps you could add a bedroom in the back and a separate washroom and water closet. I would like Patience to get a chance to get to know Hoss and Joe as well as Lucia. When they have the baby, we could all help them too. I know that having Martha there must have been a big help to you and Irae when Lake was born."

"Seems like you have your logical arguments all worked out. Now all you have to do is to convince Hoss and Lucia."

"I was rather hoping that you would help with that."

"I can help, but it is Hoss' decision and I won't push him in a direction he doesn't want to go."

Ben nodded because he knew that was exactly the case and always had been with his two older sons who would counsel each other and give each other a gentle push in the right direction but only if they thought it was the right direction. If they thought their father was wrong, they stood as strong as those big pines and wouldn't budge. He would have to trust their judgment as he had so often. It did bring up another issue.

"What do you think about leaving Joe with the hands in the city with the expense money? He could get himself into a lot of trouble."

"He could."

"Aren't you at all worried about that?"

"I am."

"That's all you have to say about it. You could have tried to talk me out of leaving him there all alone if you thought he might get into trouble. Why didn't you say something then when it could have made a difference?"

"It's time to find out. Maybe Joe got into trouble some of those times because he knew we were there to bail him out. If he knows we aren't there, and that he's the one in charge, he may think differently and act differently. He's a man, and it's time for him to have the chance to show what he can do. He's done well running quite a bit of the business on the Ponderosa. He should be able to do this."

"But if he can't, it could be a terrible problem. This is a huge risk."

"This is a reasonable risk. You did it with me at a much younger age, and you did it with Hoss. It was time or way past time for you to let go of Joe and let him take charge. Face it, Pa. You didn't need to be on this drive. You came along to shepherd your sons. You were worried. It's time to put that worry down."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I've had a lot of time to think on this drive."

"How is your leg?"

"Good enough so that there's no limp and no pain unless I bump it or press on it so Irae will be relieved, and I can honestly tell her that it was a minor accident for a drive. After what we've been through, she worries every time I leave the house, and she was scared when I left on the drive. I won't have to leave her and the children for quite a while now. Morgan and Mason got valuable experience so they can handle a drive. Like you, I don't need to go on any more cattle drives. I would like to concentrate on other business."

Many hours were spent then discussing that as well as Patience and her arrival on the Ponderosa because Ben had sent her a telegram telling her to pack. They talked about Lucia too. Adam had met her briefly so he described her to his father as well as he could from that short meeting.

"She's tall for a lady. She's probably as tall as Joe. She's older than Irae, but probably not by too much. She wore a wedding ring when I first met her, but Hoss told me that she was a widow and wore the ring to keep drovers who passed through on drives and miners from harassing her. I'm not sure of any of her other background. She's got brown hair, blue eyes, and freckles. That sounds very ordinary, but she is a very attractive woman. She's shy from what I could tell, but you know how Hoss can bring anyone out from that. From the way she was dressed, my guess is that her family is rather poor, but she carried herself with dignity. She didn't have that beaten down look that some have."

"You don't think that she is after Hoss because of the money, do you? He nearly fell into that trap with Helen, and I would hate for him to be hurt that way again."

"No, it's funny, but I don't think she had any idea that we had money. She told us that she wouldn't mind spending more time with Hoss, but she didn't want us getting in trouble for not getting back and not getting our work done. The way she talked, I had the feeling that she thought we were hands working for the ranch."

"But she wanted to be with Hoss anyway?"

"Yes, so it seems it is Hoss she was interested in, and that would mean that she is probably wide-eyed with wonder right about now."

On the Ponderosa, Luce was indeed wide-eyed with wonder. She couldn't seem to stop talking about everything she had seen and what she wanted to do. "Hoss, can I learn to ride a horse and ride with you all over the ranch? Can we go sleep out under the stars some night? I've never done that, but I've heard it's beautiful. I've never gone swimming, but that lake is so beautiful, it makes me want to try that too. Does Irae go swimming? Maybe we could all go down to the lake and have a picnic. Doesn't that sound like fun? Oh I suppose your family has done that before and it would be boring for you to do again. Hoss, could we go fishing? I like to eat fish, and there must be fish in that lake. Are there other animals we could look for? I love to see animals. This house is so big. Are we going to live here with your father and brother? It would be so much fun to live with the family and have some help when the baby comes. We have years to go before we need our own house. Your father wouldn't mind us staying here, would he? I love this house. It's so beautiful. I can't wait to see a big fire in that fireplace and the whole family sitting around and talking and laughing together."

Unable to answer even one of her questions before she raced into the next topic, Hoss could only smile. Even her questions made him love her more. Each minute let him know how well matched they were as she brought up item by item things that he loved. He did notice as she placed her clothing in the bureau drawers and in his small armoire, that her dresses all looked about the same.

"Darling, do you have any party dresses? We have a big party coming up to celebrate our wedding, and then there'll be Pa's wedding."

"Oh, for a party, I just add some ribbon to one of my dresses and put some ribbon in my hair. I don't need to do anything fancier than that."

Thinking that he wanted to see his wife in a fancy dress at their party, Hoss wondered how he could bring that up without insulting her. "Maybe you could talk with Irae about how to dress up for parties here. She and her mama are real good with dresses and getting ready for parties. Her mama does some really nice fancy work on dresses."

"Oh, maybe she could teach me how to do some of that. I can darn and mend, but I don't know how to do much more than that cause that's about all my Mama knows how to do. When we ride around today, maybe we could stop by and see Irae and her mama. They were real nice to me yesterday. I like them."

When Hoss brought Luce to visit with Irae, it didn't take long for her to figure out why Hoss had wanted to visit there first that day. He brought up the upcoming wedding celebration party and dresses almost immediately which made Irae frown a bit wondering why Hoss wanted to talk about dresses, but when Luce talked about what she was going to wear, Irae smiled.

"Why don't you come upstairs and I'll show you my party dresses? Then you can decide which of your dresses would be the best to wear for your party. Hoss, why don't you take Lake out to see the horses? Keep him busy so that Luce and I have some time to chat."

By the time Hoss and Luce continued on for their second tour of the Ponderosa, Luce was very quiet. Hoss coaxed her several times before she was ready to talk.

"You brought me over here because you knew if I wore one of my dresses to the party, I would be embarrassed, and you would have been embarrassed for me, wasn't it?"

"Darling, I'm sorry, but I had to."

"Hoss, I know you did. When I saw the party dresses that Irae had, they looked like something out of one of those fairy tales I read years ago. They looked like something a princess would wear, and now Irae and her mama are going to make one for me. She said she thought green and ivory would be good colors for me for this one. She said they would make several for me too so that I would have another one to wear for your father's wedding."

"Darling, that's wonderful. It's just what I wanted to happen."

"Then, I'm mad at you."

"Mad, why?"

"Because you should have told me. Hoss, this is a whole new world for me. It's a bigger world and I'm not ready for it. You need to be honest with me and tell me what to do when I don't know. You're the one I trust so you have to be my guide. Please don't send me into anything again without telling me what to expect."

Thinking for a moment, Hoss turned to his wife. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt your feelings, and I done hurt you anyway. From now on, I promise to tell you the truth even if I think it might hurt your feelings. I'll be completely honest with you. And right now, the honest truth is that I want to kiss you and take you back to the ranch house before we go for any more touring around."

"Hoss, there's a blanket in this carriage isn't there? We don't need to go all the way back to the house, do we? Down by the lake is so beautiful, don't you think?"

The couple found all sorts of places to make love including in front of the fireplace in the great room where Ben would have found them the next morning except he continued on to Carson City to see Patience. Adam arrived home as his family was finishing their breakfast. He hugged Lake and Leaf and Martha before gathering Irae into an embrace and a kiss that went on and on. Finally he broke the kiss for a moment and looked over at his mother-in-law.

"Could you watch the children for a short time. I have to unpack, and Irae wants to help." Martha agreed, and Adam grabbed his small valise then and with Irae, headed up the stairs. Martha smiled for she was so very happy that her daughter had a husband who loved her so much.

Chapter 11

Unpacking of course very quickly became undressing and then it was lovemaking after being apart for a month and a half. Adam wanted to do so much more but their session had to be abbreviated for two reasons. They had decided that for now, two children were enough, and those two children were going to be demanding some of their attention very soon. Adam helped Irae dress because it gave him more opportunities to caress and kiss his wife although she finally had to tell him that his help was hindering more than assisting her so she insisted that he ought to dress himself instead. Reluctantly he agreed that was probably true and did as she requested although with a fake pout that make her laugh.

Once they were downstairs again and took over the child care so that Martha could go to her room and do her fancy work, he pulled a few items from his pockets that he had held in reserve. He had a new teething ring for his daughter, a set of toy soldiers for Lake to add to his collection, and he had a small box that he gave to Irae. She opened it and shook her head. Adam bought her so much that she wondered sometimes when she would ever find the occasions to wear all the items he purchased. Inside this one was a brooch.

"This is more sedate so that you can wear it to church. When I noticed that you don't wear the jewelry I got for you when you go to church, you told me that it was too fancy for church. Surely this is appropriate for church. It's neutral so it should go with any of your dresses."

The brooch was an onyx oval set in gold filigree with a gold filigree cross set into the onyx. Irae smiled. Adam was perhaps the most thoughtful man a woman could ever have for a husband. Now she had a piece of jewelry that she could wear to church. She was going to put it back into the box when he stopped her.

"That's not all. It opens."

"It's a locket?" Irae turned it over to find that indeed it was a locket. The cover was cleverly concealed so that only the owner would know that it was a locket. She popped the cover and found two pictures inside. One was a miniature of them made shortly after their wedding and the other was a miniature of the family photo that had been done that winter.

"You can have other photos made for the locket but I wanted you to have some in there when you first wore it."

"Thank you. They're perfect, but how did you do this? You were only in the city a day or so at the end of the drive."

"I ordered this months ago so I only had to pick it up."

"You don't have to always buy things for me."

"Yes, I do. It makes me feel good to give you beautiful things, and this didn't even cost much."

"You're never going to listen to me on this, are you?" Her answer was a grin. She pinned the locket brooch on her dress so that she could show her mother at lunch. Adam handed her a small package for her mother. She knew he would have something for her. She smiled and nodded placing that on the table. "Let's take a walk with the children and look over the ranch and see what we're going to do next here."

"We can take the walk, but Pa wants me to do some work over there first. He wants me to add on a bedroom and washroom with water closet for Hoss and Lucia if that's what it takes to keep them living in the house with him and Patience. He wants them all together for a while and hopes that Hoss will agree."

"Oh, I think he will. Lucia was here yesterday. Mama and I are going to make a party dress for her. Actually we'll make several but we need to get one done soon. That reminds me: we need to take a trip to town perhaps tomorrow. We need some longer cloth panels for the skirt. She's taller than we are, and we don't have any cloth pieces long enough for the skirt. We'll need cloth for a few more dresses too."

"Why doesn't Hoss buy her some dresses?"

"She's not used to this life yet. We're going to be easing her into it. For now, having us make dresses for her is more comfortable for her. Her family may not have had money, but she's got some pride. She doesn't want to be seen as, oh, I don't know, needy perhaps? She was so surprised to find that Hoss was part of a wealthy family and the size of the Ponderosa amazed her. It was funny. She thought it was going to be crowded with her moving in with Pa and Joe. She had no idea that the house would be so big. When she saw our ranch here, she said we must be rich. I told her that the Ponderosa is four times as big as this."

"It's more like ten times as big as this although not all of the land is usable for ranching. In square miles, it's at least that big though. In practical terms of usable ranchland, it's probably about four or five times bigger. That must have made her mouth hang open."

"That would be an apt description. I told Hoss to try to be gentle in how much he showed her right away and to try to give her some time to get used to the whole idea."

"Good advice. They've had some time now to get used to being on the ranch and for her to get used to the house. Pa's going to be bringing Patience back with him. She'll be a guest on the ranch until they get married so there will be one more woman who will have to get used to the ranch and all the people on it. The next month or so could be very interesting. We'll have a party to celebrate Hoss' wedding and then there will be Pa's wedding. Be prepared for some talk because there will be some."

"And for a change, it won't be about us. Oh, I have to tell you what Lake said to Myra Willems and then what I said to her after she almost slapped him and what she said to him and about him. I'm afraid if Hoss hadn't stepped in, there might have been a very ugly incident. As it was, it drew quite a crowd." Adam rolled his eyes and asked what happened and Irae had to admit the whole thing. Adam wasn't upset with her. He was upset with Myra Willems and planned to say something to her if she ever mentioned the incident again. That opportunity came sooner rather than later as they went to town the next day with Hoss and Lucia to pick out some fabrics for dresses. Myra was walking down the street opposite them when they went into the store to buy fabric. Hoss had heard the whole story from Irae the day it had happened so he poked Adam in the side.

"It looks like she's got two pigs fighting over a bucket of corn under her skirts when she walks."

All Adam could do was shake his head at Hoss and continue into the store with Lake in tow. Irae had Leaf with her and turned back to Hoss to admonish him for talking that way in front of the children. Lucia stare let him know that she didn't approve either. Hoss looked at Adam.

"Guess I'm gonna have to learn how to hold my tongue around women and young'uns. Never had to do it before spending all my time with men."

"It's a different world, Hoss, but there are many benefits for that small sacrifice."

Soon Adam was holding Leaf while Hoss was supposed to be watching Lake as the ladies picked out fabric that they wanted. Hoss got distracted though by some new pistols in the store and Lake wandered off to where some customers were looking over newly arrived merchandise. He saw Myra Willems and his curiosity took over. A scream alerted the family that there was something amiss. When Adam and Irae didn't immediately see Lake, they suspected that he might be involved. When they saw Hoss looking for him too, they were sure he was involved.

"Your son is a most awful little boy. He is as uncouth and brazen a ruffian as his father ever was and at a much younger age. I can't believe you let this mongrel out in public with decent folks."

Adam's fury was matched by Irae's. Hoss got in front of them before they could accost Myra Willems. He pushed Lake toward them and told them to leave so he could take care of things. Because of the children, they followed Hoss' advice. Outside the store, Adam and Irae waited with Lake and Leaf for Hoss and Lucia to come from the store. The sounds they heard were incongruous. There was a huge burst of laughter from the people in the store at the same time as they heard a loud slap and a cry of anguish that sounded like it came from Myra Willems. She burst from the store and moved as quickly as she could away from them and out of sight. Hoss came out then with the clear pattern of a hand forming in red across his cheek. He was smiling though in self-satisfaction making Adam and Irae have to ask what happened. Lucia was bursting with pride and had to tell them.

"Hoss was so disgusted with what she said about Lake but he gave her a chance to explain herself. She said that Lake had lifted up her skirt and looked up her petticoats. Hoss said 'Oh, Lordy' like he does, and then he up and told her what he had said about her that Lake overheard. He said that he had seen her walking that morning and said that it looked like two pigs fighting over a bucket of corn under her skirts so that Lake was only an innocent little boy who wanted to see that. Everybody in the store liked to bust a gut laughing at that. She slapped Hoss but she couldn't slap everybody just for laughing. She may not come out of her house for a week."

"You know I would never treat a woman like that except she wasn't acting like no respectable woman insulting a little boy like that. No woman should ever hurt a child. There's no way I can abide anyone hurting a child. She deserved a punishment for that, and some public humiliation seemed the right thing to do."

As Lucia and Irae went back into the store to finish their shopping, Adam sat down with Lake to explain that lifting a woman's skirts is never all right. Hoss grinned and wanted to say something, but a scowl from Adam made him hold his thoughts. Once Adam was sure that Lake understood, he asked if he had any questions.

"Papa, what's a mongrel?"

"It's a bad word and bad people use it. We won't ever use that bad word."

"Is it like the bad words when Mama says 'not in front of the children'?"

"Yes, and even worse than that. I would never even say such a bad word."

"Was it bad for me to say it?"

"No, son, you were asking a question. It's all right to ask a question. Of me. In private. Away from other people."

"Is it all right if Uncle Hoss is here?"

"Yes, that's all right because he's family."

"Then I heard the women in the store say something funny."

"Funny?"

"Yes, they said Aunt Luce is going to have a baby."

Adam looked to Hoss. "You want to take this one?"

"Yes, Lake, Luce is going to have a baby."

"How? She doesn't look like it. She doesn't look like this." And Lake stood and pushed out his belly by leaning back trying his best to look like a pregnant woman. Adam began to laugh as people walking by stared and Hoss got embarrassed.

"Lake, now don't do that. See, it's a secret yet. We ain't told nobody but family."

"Then how did those women know?"

"They was guessing, but if you keep standing like that, they're going to know for sure."

"Can I tell Mama?"

"She knows."

"Can I tell Uncle Joe and Grandpa?"

"They know too."

"I'll tell Leaf, and she can't tell nobody. She can't talk yet."

"That's a good idea. You can tell her. When you get home. And nobody else is around."

With a smile, Adam slapped Hoss on the shoulder. "You're learning, Hoss. You're learning."

Chapter 12

With a stop for Adam to drop off a letter ordering supplies for the addition to the back of the house for Hoss and Lucia, the four headed for lunch leaving the two children in the capable hands of Abigail Meyer who at church on Sunday had volunteered to be their sitter anytime they were in town and needed her help. She and Hank had two of their own who were older already and could help with care for the children. Adam had told her he knew she would be insulted to be paid for her help but asked if he could please give each of her children a silver dollar each time, and Abigail was very happy to accept that gracious way of receiving payment. It was one of those win-win-win situations. Adam's rambunctious children got to play and have fun, Adam and Irae got to enjoy lunch or other activities with adults without worry, and Abigail and her family got a little extra income without much extra effort. Hoss hoped that she would be willing to help with one more when his child was older because it was such a sweet arrangement. As they were enjoying a quiet lunch, Roy stopped by.

"Now I heard a story on how Myra Willems got her just desserts today from Hoss. Folks been telling me as how she was pretty nasty to young Lake calling him a name, but Hoss give her the ole one-two by telling the truth. I have to tell ya that every one who tells me the story is smiling to beat all. That Myra has been mean to so many folks around town that her getting some thrown her way was long overdue."

"Roy, it wasn't the first time that she insulted my son. Irae had a run-in with her two days ago."

"Adam, I already enjoyed that story from a couple days ago that I heard Irae done told her she was fat. Now ain't that the God's honest truth. This one was even better. Maybe that woman is going to learn to keep a closer hold on her own mouth like she always tells others to do with theirs."

"Can't you arrest her for trying to hit a little boy?"

"Miss Lucia, someday I hope there are laws that would let me do exactly that, but right now that just ain't possible. You folks handled things just right though, and I thank ya. Makes my job a lot easier when folks can peaceably settle their disputes."

"Well, it wasn't exactly peaceably. She slapped Hoss. Isn't there a law against that?"

"Now, I could go talk to Myra about disturbing the peace then and warn her that next time I could put her in jail or make her pay a fine. Now that might make her hold her tongue a bit knowing that I would be called in. Thank you for that information, Miss Lucia. No one mentioned that. They was too busy telling me what Hoss said. Now, I ain't seen Ben nor Little Joe. Didn't they come back with ya?"

"Joe is coming back with the hands. He should be back in a few days. Pa had some personal business over in Carson City. We expect to see him today."

"Personal business, you say." Roy waited expectantly but no one was willing to say more. He knew better than to pry and they would tell him when they were ready to tell him. He said good day to them and headed over to speak with Myra and to warn her what could happen the next time her words created a disturbance. He looked forward to being able to get her to shut her mouth, something he had wanted to do for a long time.

Once lunch was finished, the four adults collected the two children and headed back to the Ponderosa hoping that Ben would be back by that evening with Patience because they were all anxious to meet her except for Adam of course who would renew his acquaintance with her. Irae found that she was a bit jealous about that, and wondered how much of Patience Adam had actually seen in those shows. She had never seen a burlesque show so she had no idea but did know the way the women talked about them. She hated to bring up that topic with Adam at home to let him know that she was a bit jealous, and almost hugged Luce when she brought up the topic.

"Hoss told me that Patience was in a burlesque show. Now I never heard of such a thing. What do women do in a burlesque show anyway? Hoss said he doesn't rightly remember if he ever saw one."

That made Adam turn toward Hoss and give him a look that let both women know that Hoss had been less than forthcoming on that score, but Adam did then explain a burlesque show for both of them. "The show usually begins with a lot of dancing by women in rather elaborate costumes that get shed until they are wearing minimal costumes leaving not too much to the imagination but enough. That's usually followed by some humorous routines or sketches lampooning some group with clever puns or short jokes. Most often there is also a short bit in the middle with them acting out a simple scene of some kind usually heroic or dramatic but quite simple overall. Then there's a grand finale of song and dance bringing all the ladies back with their costumes. On occasion, there's even a boxing or wrestling match to wrap up the evening. Most of the people in the company are clearly amateurs, but there are usually one or two featured performers who are quite good. Patience was a featured performer."

"So you saw her in a show and there wasn't much left to the imagination?"

"Yes, Luce, but that was a long time ago, and I did say that enough was left to the imagination. The shows were respectable even if they were very close to crossing that line, and some might say that they did cross the line, but to my mind, they were acceptable. If I was in San Francisco and Irae wanted to attend, I would take her to one of those shows. We wouldn't sit in the front though. The men down in the front can get a bit too boisterous so I would want a box seat on the side."

"Do many women attend those shows?"

"No, Irae, very few women attend those shows. When I asked Patience to dinner and a show, we went to a theater for a play. That is what men usually would do with a woman whom they respected." Adam sensed that something was amiss but also had an idea. "We haven't gone anywhere as a couple in some time. Perhaps we ought to think about traveling to San Francisco together. We have all sorts of people who can watch over Lake and Leaf now, and they're old enough to understand that we'll be back." A big smile was his answer so he knew he had managed that situation very well. He grinned back. Leaf had fallen asleep in Irae's arms, but Lake was observing everything that happened. He tried to understand the conversation but couldn't so he decided to ask questions instead. The rest of the ride was Lake asking questions and the adults doing their best to answer them. Luce got quite an introduction to what having an inquisitive child could be like. She did ask a question that had started to bother both Adam and Irae who were reluctant to even bring it up with each other.

"Why doesn't Leaf say anything? Lake talks so much, and she doesn't make a sound except to laugh or cry. It seems kind of strange. By now shouldn't she be making some sounds and saying some simple words even if they're baby talk words?"

"We don't know why. Not every baby develops at the same rate. Perhaps Leaf is a bit slower with words but she seems bright and healthy in every other way." Hoss and Luce though could hear the worry in Adam's voice and see it in Irae's expression. They let the topic drop.

By the time they got to the ranch house, the mood was jovial again especially when they saw that there was another carriage in the yard. Ben had said he wanted to purchase another small one not only to move Patience to the Ponderosa but because with three couples, they needed another one. He had spent some extra time in Carson City buying a new carriage that was very nice and large with two seats. It had side panels that could be unrolled in bad weather to create a compartment that was closed on three sides and a top that covered the front seat as well. The boot was quite large and able to hold quite a bit so they could use it to go into to town to buy supplies too. Hoss and Adam admired the carriage as they helped their wives from the older large carriage and carried the packages inside. No one was in the great room, but Ben and Patience had heard them arrive and soon came walking down the stairs. Adam was not surprised, but the other three were quite surprised at how young Patience looked and at her red hair. They should have probably guessed that with a stage name of Cherry Red, there was a good reason for that, but her beautiful chestnut hair was stunning. She wore a dark green gingham dress that looked quite good with her coloring. Adam greeted her with a smile and soon everyone was introduced and smiling as well. Ben beamed with pride in his family.

"I've given Patience the tour of the house. She'll be staying in the guest room downstairs here until the wedding. We want to get married in five weeks. We would marry sooner but we think that Hoss and Lucia should have a big party first. What I thought would work best is to have our good friends here on Saturday to meet Lucia and Patience and let them know our news. Then in a week from Saturday, we could have a big party for Lucia and Hoss. One month after that, Patience and I would get married. How does that sound to everyone?"

The rest of the day was spent in everyone getting to know each other and finding out the stories that everyone had to tell. There wasn't enough time to accomplish even a small fraction of what could be told before Adam and Irae had to take their children home. Ben and Patience walked out with them. Patience stepped up to Adam after he had helped Irae and the children into the carriage.

"Thank you for making this so easy for me. You have been most gentlemanly about the situation as I knew you would be. Thank you."

With a smile, Adam nodded and climbed into the carriage to take his wife and children home. He remembered the passionate kisses and the promises within them. He had been the one to walk away from them. He had not regretted that decision, and was glad that there were no hard feelings from Patience either. Any misgivings he had previously held about his father's decision had melted away with her statement. Irae saw him smile and asked him what he was thinking.

"I was a bit nervous about my father's decision to marry Patience, but after today, I'm much more comfortable with the idea. I believe she is in love with him, and I can see how much he loves her. It's good to see Pa so happy."

On Saturday, when the family friends were on the Ponderosa to meet Patience and Lucia, they too could see not only how happy Ben was but were pleased to see that Hoss was a happily married man as well. It was a small gathering by Ponderosa standards but still a good sized party. Doctor Paul Martin was very happy for his friends, but as the party progressed, he noted one thing that had him worried and made him observe closely for the rest of the evening. Finally he thought he needed to speak with Adam and asked him to step outside for a moment. Adam could see Paul's concern.

"What's wrong?"

"It's something that I'm fairly certain that you must have noticed by now. Your daughter is too quiet. She should be making all sorts of sounds by now and saying her first words. She doesn't."

Adam dropped his head. It was a fear that he and Irae had but had hoped that somehow it was simply a difference in how children developed. Now that Paul had noticed and said it shouldn't be, he was forced to face that issue that something was wrong with his daughter. "What is it, Paul? Is she going to be like this always?"

"Only if you and your family keep doing what you're doing."

"What?"

"You cater to her every need. Whatever she wants is provided as soon as anyone thinks she might need it. Lake is so attentive to his sister it's as if he can read her mind. He picks up her toys and hands them to her repeatedly so she never has to complain about not having them. She never has to complain about anything. She's a princess with her court all around her jumping to her every need and whim."

"What does that have to do with her not talking or making sounds?"

"She doesn't because she doesn't have to. She lays there and everything is done for her. Try ignoring her for a bit and see what happens. She'll have to make some sounds to get your attention. She'll have to make sounds to try to communicate with you. Don't try to guess what she wants. Make her try to let you know. She'll be frustrated and angry and upset very often. It's part of being a baby. It's what makes a baby learn. I've seen it before. With the first baby, the parents have no idea what their child wants so the child has to learn how to communicate with them. By the second, third, and fourth child, the parents get so good at it, that they cater to the needs of the child who doesn't have that same push to have to learn. Haven't you ever wondered why you're so different from your younger brothers? Your father learned to be a father with you, and then used those lessons to raise your younger brothers."

"Thank you. I'll talk with Irae."

By the day of Hoss' party, Adam walked up to Paul with a smile. "Leaf said Mama yesterday. Well, she says mamamama, but we know what she means. She's been crying more this week and when Irae went to her, she always said, 'Mama is here for you now', and Leaf understands. She's saying it now. You were right, and we are so relieved."

Chapter 13

Over that first week that Ben was back on the Ponderosa, there were many conversations among the brothers and between Hoss and Ben. Joe arrived back safely with the hands, the chuckwagon, and Hop Sing who was proud to report that all had gone very well. He acted as if Joe was his son as he gave Ben a glowing report on how well Joe had handled the men, the money, and getting them all back safely and in a timely manner. Joe beamed with pride at Hop Sing's words and then his father's words of praise for a job well done or his brothers' smiles when their father said he knew Joe could do it all along.

The brothers were together more than usual because Adam was at the house every day doing measuring and preliminary work for adding on a bedroom and washroom with water closet in the back for Hoss and Luce as well as a water closet in the main washroom for the rest of the family. Ben had hoped it could be closer to the bedrooms but there was no convenient way to add the drainage needed nor the water they needed. It was such an improvement over the outdoor necessary though that everyone endorsed the addition to the washroom. It would take some time for the fixtures to arrive but the basics were in place within a week of construction and they could make do with a jerry-rigged system until the formal appliances arrived. By the time winter arrived, the plan was that both additions would be completed and fully functional. With the pretext of discussing those changes, Ben asked Hoss to take a walk and talk with him. It didn't take long before they were talking about Luce.

"Hoss, you wife is very innocent in some ways, but she is very special in many ways. I can certainly see why you were attracted to her. The two of you have a lot of similar interests, and her enthusiasm for living on a ranch is amazing. She is more of a ranch girl than Irae who was brought up on a ranch. I think if you let her, she would want to be out there working with the men."

"She might want to, Pa, so don't never bring that up with her. I want her to be my wife not a cowgirl no matter how much she thinks that would be fun. I'm teaching her to ride and shoot and such but not so she can work on the ranch."

"She certainly is riding well for only doing it for a week. She's going to be a good horsewoman. How are the shooting lessons going?"

"Not as well. She's a bit scared of the guns, but she's slowly getting the hang of it. Don't want to rush her and make her back off so I'm taking my time on that one."

"Adam had told me that she was shy, but she doesn't seem shy at all."

"She was shy around him at first cause she was a mite scared of him. She had seen men dressed like him and wearing a gun like that come through their town and they were dangerous men. She figured Adam for that kind of man. I told her he was dangerous but only to people who threatened his family or his friends. She understands that now. I warned her about you too so she wouldn't be scared of you."

"Scared of me? Why would you have to warn her about me?"

"Just for what you done there. You raised your voice and it kinda booms out when you do that. Her father is very soft spoken and so's her mama. She ain't used to men who've got big booming voices. When men talk like that, she thinks they're mad. I told her you talk like that all the time and not to worry. She said when she met you, she had sweat running down her back, and she had to wipe her hands on her skirt about a dozen times before she shook your hand. Now it's been a few days and she said she's getting used to it."

"Hoss, you should have told me. I could have been more careful how I talked."

"Pa, sooner or later you woulda boomed out like you do and scared her. Better for her to be used to it than for her to be caught unawares like that. I warned her about Hop Sing and how he can go on and threaten to go back to China and all too. She's been so sweet with him, praising every thing he does, and asking for his help with things. I think he thinks he got a daughter with her."

"She is very good with people. Lake and Leaf like her a lot already, and she and Irae seem to be friends already, and Irae doesn't give her friendship to people easily. She's been hurt too many times by people so that's a very good sign too."

"Yeah, I like it that they're friends. Irae took her under her wing right off and helped her with her dress. She gave me a good talking to about that too."

"Irae gave you a talking to?"

"No, Luce did. I didn't tell her that her ordinary dresses would have embarrassed her at the party cause all the ladies would be all dressed up in fancy dresses. I let Irae show her the party dresses she has. Luce said I shoulda told her right up front about that."

"Yes, she knows the value of honesty and trust in a marriage. You got a very good woman for you, Hoss. I'm very happy for you. You and Adam may have waited a very long time to marry, but you have both found wonderful women to share your lives."

"Yeah, now we gotta see if Joe can find one."

Ben rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I don't know about that one. He needs to spend more time with a woman before he decides he's in love, and it would be good if he could decide what it is he wants in a woman besides beauty and blond hair."

"Some of 'em have had dark hair, Pa, and he may be following your lead. Patience may be one of the most purty women I ever seen in my life."

"That's a benefit, of course, but that isn't what made me fall in love with her. She is a strong woman. She needed help and came to me, but she didn't come to me expecting me to take care of everything for her like she was helpless. She wanted me to help her reach the authorities so that she could testify against some men who were trying to conspire against the governor of the state. She knew they would try to kill her when they realized that was what she wanted to do. She thought I was the kind of man willing to take that kind of risk too to see justice done."

"So that's why your trip last year to Sacramento took so long."

"Yes, and when it was all over, she would have let me walk away from her, but I couldn't. I was already falling in love with her, and we had talked enough that I knew she wasn't happy in the life she had. I told her I would help her start a new life only by the time she was in Carson City I knew I wanted to be part of that life. She wasn't sure at first so we took it slowly."

"You're both sure now?"

"She's here."

"Yeah, I guess that means she's sure. She's gonna marry up with you. Pa, things sure are getting nice around here. I was shocked when I found out Luce was gonna have a baby, and now it's about all I can think about. I see Adam with Lake, and I wonder if that's gonna be me in a couple of years with a young'un trailing along behind me trying to do all the things I do."

"If it is, I hope it's a boy." Adam walked up behind them smiling. "The ladies would like you back in the house for some evaluations on dresses, wedding decorations, and party planning. I get to go work on the addition so that's all in your lap."

Working on the addition gave Hoss a chance to ask his brothers about his wife and about Patience. Each of them had had a similar conversation with their father about his fiancée so they were all in general agreement that they approved of the match even if they were surprised he was marrying someone so much younger.

"Maybe it's not that much of a surprise. Pa's so much younger than men his age."

Both Joe and Adam stopped working when Hoss said that. They looked at each other as if to confirm that was what he had said and then looked to Hoss for an explanation. Hoss however was merrily working along as if what he had said made perfect sense and needed no explanation. They waited a bit more until Joe was too impatient and demanded he explain how their father could be so much younger than his age.

"Cause you know Pa's got this kid inside of him just a waitin' to get out. You saw how he was with Lake down at the stream when we was fishing. Lake wanted to fish in the water with his boots off and Pa said he'd do it so pretty soon he's got his pants legs all rolled up and he and Lake are standing in the water having a good ole time fishing. Scared all the fish away of course and Pa knew they would, but he wanted to get out there with Lake and wade in the water like any boy would."

"I suppose you could be right. Pa had me when he was fairly young and those were tough years scrabbling to make a living and coming across the country. Then there was Hoss and building this place when we finally got settled. He didn't get to have much fun as a young man. Maybe he does have some desire to kick up his heals and enjoy life."

Snapping his fingers, Joe had that grin that always made his brothers exceptionally nervous except this time they thought he had a good idea when he finally explained himself. "Then I know what we ought to give Pa and Patience for a wedding gift. Let's give them a trip. We can take care of the ranch and all the business so they can take a grand tour of the country. They can go to New York, and Boston, and anywhere else they want to go. They can see the latest plays and see all the exciting things that are happening."

"You know, little brother, for a change, I think you may have an idea that won't get anybody in trouble. Older brother there looks like he wants to go too."

"I was thinking that as an old sailor we might want to give him another option. He could take a sailing trip out across the Pacific too. Either way, it would be an exciting adventure, and I agree with Hoss. Little brother, you have finally managed to come up with an idea that I can wholeheartedly endorse. Now we have to tell Pa."

"Tell me what?"

So the brothers told their father their idea for a wedding gift and cause him to smile and slap them on their shoulders. "Thank you. It's the best gift you could give us. The cross-country trip is the one that I think Patience would like the most, and the one that is the best to guarantee we can be back here by the time Hoss' baby is born. I can't miss that, now can I? If you're sure, I want to tell her now so we can start making plans."

After a quick look to get nods from Hoss and Joe, Adam answered. "We're sure, Pa."

Chapter 14

The day before the party for Hoss and Luce, her parents were due to arrive. Hoss had sent tickets after a telegram had gotten their fast response that they would be willing to make the trip. Luce had been surprised but delighted with the news. She and Patience spent quite a bit of time getting the guest room upstairs ready for them to use. They had hoped that the addition could be completed but although close, it was too much to expect. The finishing work had yet to be done. At least Luce would be able to show her parents the room so they could see where she and Hoss would be living for the next couple of years.

As Ben came from the addition into the house, he could hear women's laughter and children's voices in his house. It was a mix that he had wondered if he would ever hear and now thought he could never grow tired of hearing. The ladies were sewing up curtains and bedclothes for the new room as well as new ones for Ben's bedroom once he was married. He hadn't thought about that originally, but his room would have to change too to accommodate the needs of a woman there. Adam had said it would be easier to buy a large armoire than to try to build another closet so he had ordered not only a large armoire but a large bureau and dressing table as well. He planned to set up one side of the room for his wife's use. It was a surprise and only Adam and Irae knew about it as they had helped him with the ordering.

"Luce, are you and Hoss about ready to go to town to meet your parents. The stage might be early even though it rarely is."

"Yes, Hoss said he would come get me as soon as he had the carriage ready to go. He's taking the big one so we can pick up supplies too. Hop Sing had another big list ready for us, and Patience had a few things she wanted too."

That surprised Ben, but he let it pass. He needed to get used to more people having a say in how the house was run. He saw the colors that the ladies were sewing and had to comment.

"Please tell me that those are not for my bedroom."

Patience looked up at him with a bit of exasperation. "They are not for our bedroom. They are for a nursery. Hoss and Adam said that the guest bedroom upstairs would become the nursery once the baby is old enough to be in its own room so we're sewing up some bed linens and window coverings for that room appropriate for a child. We'll keep the heavy outer draperies for bad weather, but the inner liners will be lighter and brighter as will the quilt we throw over the covering on the large bed."

Looking at Ben, Luce had to smile. "Don't worry so much, Mr. Cartwright. The bed covering and the crib will be able to be moved to our room if necessary so that you will have two guest rooms upstairs if needed and the one down here. There will still be plenty of room. Remember that you will have Hoss' old room when we move into the new one."

Ben smiled at Luce innocently reassuring him, but he knew that his new found effort to accept change in his life and in his family as well on the Ponderosa was going to be challenged by the pace of change that was occurring. He smiled and nodded, but Patience saw through the reaction. Once Hoss called Luce to go to town, she stood and asked Ben if he would mind going for a walk because she was tired of sitting and needed a break. She caught Irae's eye and the young woman declared that it was time to take her youngsters home because both would need lunch and a nap soon especially with the big day coming up with Hoss' party.

"I want them to be on their best behavior tomorrow. Ben, could you help me get the carriage ready and then get the children safely aboard?"

Once Irae and the children were on their way, Ben turned to Patience. "It's amazing how quickly you ladies have become co-conspirators."

"Why, Benjamin, whatever do you mean by that?"

"Oh, you know exactly what I mean, and I am a bit chagrined that I am so easy to read as well. Were my thoughts so obvious to all of you?"

"I doubt that Luce had any idea, and perhaps Irae did, but I could tell. I've spent enough time with you to know the way you are. All of these changes are coming very fast for you and have shaken you. I understand that. Would you like to take that walk with me? Some time walking and talking might be the best medicine for what ails you right now."

"Doctor, I think I like that prescription."

As Ben and Patience found a secluded spot to relieve some tension, Hoss and Luce got more tense in town waiting for her parents and wondering how they would react to everything. They need not have worried. When Matt and Annette arrived, they were all smiles to see their daughter. Of course, Roy was there by then and was introduced before they set off for the Ponderosa. An hour later, Annette asked how much further they had to go before they got to the Cartwright ranch.

"Oh, Mama, I said almost the exact same thing when I got here. Hoss says they all enjoy that question and they get it all the time."

"My goodness, why would they enjoy that question?"

"Because, Mama, we've been on the Ponderosa for a half hour already and we have that long at least before we'll get to the house. The Ponderosa is very large."

Of course Matt had to ask and that made Hoss smile even more. "How large is it?"

Luce looked at Hoss. "Well, go ahead. I know you want to tell him."

"We have about one hundred thousand acres give or take a few. We've been buying up some the last few years so we ain't exactly sure any more exactly how many we got. My brother Adam knows exactly how many he's got on his ranch. His ranch borders the Ponderosa and he's got over ten thousand more acres."

Shocked was the only way to describe how Matt and Annette looked. They had of course realized that Hoss had more money than they had ever suspected just by the fact that he had sent them tickets for this trip, but suddenly they realized that their daughter had married a wealthy man. Annette had known that the dress her daughter was wearing was new, but now she took a closer look at it, and realized that the fabric was of the finest quality. Seeing her perusal of her clothing, Luce showed her ring to her mother then. Annette was glad she was seated. That ring was probably worth what they made on their ranch in a year or two.

"I know, Mama. I told Hoss that it was too expensive, but he said it was what he wanted to give me. He said I only got one of these in my lifetime so he wanted it to be one that I would always treasure."

"It is a treasure. I would be afraid to wear it in public at home. I might get killed for it with the ruffians that come through that town."

"I always have someone with me when I'm in town. I am nervous when I'm there so I never go alone. Now when we get to the ranch house, I have so much more to show you."

After what they had seen, Matt and Annette were a bit nervous about that and the party wondering how they would ever fit in with all these rich people, but they hoped that their daughter would at least help them through the next couple of days. They need not have worried. Ben was gracious and charming as always making Matt relax. Annette was welcomed by Patience and soon she was with her and Luce talking over the decorating and the party preparations. Annette was about the same size as Martha so a trip to Adam's ranch was decided and the ladies were off before the men had a chance to offer to go along. Chuckling Ben led Matt to where Hoss' brothers were working on the addition to the house.

"Now this is something I like to do."

Adam picked up on that quickly. "You like carpentry?"

"I built my own house, cabinets and furniture included."

Looking over at Hoss, Adam smiled. "Maybe your father-in-law wouldn't mind staying a few extra days and helping with the finishing work. This could be done in two days with the right men doing it."

"Well, we can't work on it tomorrow, but we got the rest of today, and then the day after the party."

"But I didn't bring any work clothes. I'd like to help."

Adam looked to his father. "I've got things that you can wear, Matt. Let's go get changed and show these youngsters how to finish a room the right way."

By that evening, the ladies were back with a dress that Martha had altered to fit Annette. The sweaty men were in need of baths, but the addition was much closer to being finished.

"Luce, Adam says the varnish should all be dry by the day after the party and we can do the rest of the work on finishing the room then. By the day after that ifn you don't mind the smell of fresh wood and varnish and paint, we could move in."

Luce hugged Hoss and kissed him but was embarrassed to realize she had done it in front of her parents. They chuckled though, and Matt responded to her pink cheeks.

"You're married now girl and in your own home. I'm guessing that no one here is surprised you kiss your husband. I'm mighty happy for you girl. I was a mite worried about you having to come here married and all, but this is a dream come true for you, isn't it? Me and your Mama couldn't be happier for you and for you too, Hoss."

The good feelings persisted through dinner served by Hop Sing and widely praised by both Matt and Annette leaving Hop Sing beaming. It was then that the family realized that Luce's praise of Hop Sing had been genuine. It was something that their family did as a matter of course praising lavishly anything that pleased them. The next day, the party went just as well with mild sunny weather, a grand feast with roasted beef, and a great time of dancing and merriment that was had by all. Two days later, Luce was a bit sad to see her parents leave, but Hoss told her that he had made sure they knew that they were always welcome and that he would send tickets for them to visit again especially about the time the baby was due.

With the addition completed and the party for Hoss and Luce over, all attention turned to the upcoming wedding for Ben and Patience. Just as with Hoss and Luce and their sudden wedding, the upcoming nuptials spawned a rash of nasty rumors in town. The worst of those was that Patience had been a painted lady, a soiled dove. It was the wickedest of the stories and the most difficult to quash. Finally, Patience suggested a solution that Ben was loath to accept.

"Ben, I believe it's the only way to do this."

Adam supported Patience in the strategy she wanted to employ. "There's no weapon mightier than the truth. These rumors are likely to persist for years otherwise. What can they say if the truth is there for everyone?"

Ben frowned but knew that they were right. He nodded. Then when Hoss got the carriage ready, he drove his fiancée to town to give an interview exclusive to Dan DeQuille at the Territorial Enterprise about her career as Cherry Red and how she had come to Ben for help when she was in need of help to bring down a criminal conspiracy.

Chapter 15

Such simple words could change a life in so many ways. Ben had said them only four months earlier and he could not have been happier that he did. He sat by his wife's side on the train as content as he could ever remember being and thought back to that day on the Ponderosa when he had stood before his sons, his friends, and before the minister.

"I do."

Patience had vowed the same before the minister introduced them to the assembled guests as Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Cartwright. Dan DeQuille had been there sketching and writing away furiously rewarded with an exclusive on the wedding of the year if not the decade in Nevada. His carefully crafted story of what Patience had told him, and then his stories that followed detailing the criminal trials in California that resulted had taken care of any rumors and elevated Patience to near heroine status. No one dared say a negative word about her any longer. Although Ben would have preferred a more private wedding, he understood the need to conduct the wedding the way that they did showing that they were proud of their decision to marry and that their family and friends endorsed the nuptials.

Following the wedding, the two had set off on a four-month tour of the country following the general itinerary their sons has suggested with some side trips they had not foreseen. A trip to Niagara Falls as well as a visit to the White House had been highlights of the trip that neither had originally anticipated. Now though they were anxious to get home. Hoss and Luce were due to have their baby within a month, and Ben wanted very much to be there when that happened. They had shipped home most of their luggage and numerous purchases they had made along the way so they only had a few pieces of luggage left with them. Ben assumed they would rent a carriage when they arrived because they had been unable to send a telegram. The wires had been down due to a storm and service was interrupted. Therefore they were surprised to see Adam at the train station as if he was waiting for them. He wasn't and was shocked but pleased to see them.

"So you finally must have gotten one of my telegrams."

"No, son, we never got a telegram. Why, what's wrong?" From Adam's tense stance and look, Ben knew something was wrong even if he smiled when he greeted them. That smile had no humor in it.

"I'm waiting here for Luce's parents to arrive from Reno. They took the train because it was faster. The storms took out the stage road with some mudslides."

"Why are Luce's parents here so soon?"

"Luce has been in bed for a month trying to hold off on delivering those babies, but despite everything, Doc Martin says they're coming any day now."

"She's going to have the baby now? But it's too early. It's a month too soon."

Patience however had picked up on what Ben had missed. "Is it two or three?"

"Doc thinks two, but he's having a hard time distinguishing the heartbeats because of the position of the babies. He thinks that's another problem although he's hoping that because they're small, the delivery will still work out. It's damn scary though."

"How's Hoss doing?"

"About as you expect. He doesn't look like he's slept in a week, and he's actually lost weight."

"You look about the same."

"Irae has been spending most nights at the house with Luce just in case something happens, so I've had the children. Martha helps but whenever anything happens, they want me. It has been a difficult month, but I've had it easy compared to Hoss. Joe's been carrying the load on the Ponderosa too doing a lot of Hoss' work in addition to his own. I've tried to help out, but it's hard because I was already doing the paperwork for you and doing my work too. We're glad to have you back, Pa. Oh, welcome back, Patience. I hope that you and Pa had a wonderful trip."

For the next hour, Patience and Ben talked about their trip until Matt and Annette arrived. Then they quickly loaded their luggage, and the group headed to the Ponderosa with Adam once again explaining what he knew about Luce and the babies. Then mercifully Patience took over and talked about the things that they had seen on their trip which kept everyone's thoughts occupied enough so that they didn't worry too much about Luce and the babies. When they arrived at the ranch house, Joe came out to greet Luce's parents and was overjoyed to see his father. Adam let Joe lead the group into the house as he took care of the carriage and the horse.

With Patience and Annette there to care for Luce, Irae and Adam were free to return home where they were able to spend time with their children and go to bed early and sleep nearly ten hours. The next morning though they were summoned back to the Ponderosa by Joe who told them the babies were on their way. By the time Adam and Irae arrived at the ranch house with Joe, the babies were in fact there. They could hear them crying which was the best news of all. Walking inside, all three were relieved to see smiles instead of worry.

Doctor Paul Martin was already gone because he had another patient in need of his services. That in itself was a good sign for he never would have left if he was worried about Luce or the babies. Ben smiled and put a hand on each of his sons' shoulders. "The babies were born quickly and they are very small, but Paul said they are healthy and that there should be no long term problems. We'll have to be very careful with them so the house will be kept very warm this winter. Lots of wood to be chopped, but it's very good news. Hoss is upstairs now with Luce and her parents. Paul said a few visitors at a time would be best."

"Have you seen them yet, Pa?" Joe wondered at his father's calm demeanor.

"No, but I understand that Matt and Annette would be more worried than me. Their daughter did most of the work. I'll wait my turn."

Adam and Irae had to grin though because as soon as Matt and Annette appeared at the top of the stairs, Ben hurried up those stairs as fast as he could go. Adam motioned to Joe to go with him. "I'll wait so that Irae and I can go together." Joe grinned and followed their father up the stairs. A short time later, a beaming Ben came sauntering down the stairs with Patience and Joe which allowed Adam and Irae the chance to go meet the newest members of the family.

"Well, big brother, you matched the size of my family in one step."

"We shur did. I hope we don't ever do this again though. I don't think my heart can take this again."

"Your heart? What about me? I've spent a month in bed, and now Doctor Martin said one more week. I may go crazy with one more week in this bed."

Adam had an inspiration though. "We've got a wheelchair in the attic. Perhaps, he could be convinced to let you use that. I'll talk to him about it."

"Oh, Adam, yes, please do that. Anything to get out of this bed for a while."

"Now, what have you named these two?"

"Well, we had a boy's name and a girl's name all set, but now we got two girls so we decided to use the girl's name twice, sort of."

"Twice, sort of?"

"Well, see, older brother, we was gonna name her Ingrid Anne kind of honoring both of our mothers, but now one is gonna be Inger Anne and the other is gonna be Anna Ingrid. That way they each got their own name and we still honor our mothers."

"Inger and Anna. I like those names. Very pretty." Adam looked at Irae who nodded for the names suited the light-skinned little girls. Hoss handed one of the girls to Irae then as he took the other from Luce who looked exhausted. For a short time, the two couples talked about plans for the future and about having Ben and Patience back home. It was clear though that Luce needed some sleep. Irae volunteered to stay and rock her charge to sleep as Hoss did the same for the other. Adam left to tell the others downstairs about what was happening before he went home to retrieve his two children from Martha's care and bring them back to the Ponderosa. The family was ready to celebrate again.

As usual, Hop Sing cooked all day and had the appropriate feast for celebrating twins arriving. After the sumptuous dinner, Joe said he had a lady he had to see and left. Hoss went upstairs to be with his wife and daughters, and Matt and Annette retired to their room exhausted by the hectic travel and the events of the day. Patience and Irae spent time playing with Lake and Leaf and chatting with them with Patience telling stories about riding on the train and then seeing Niagara Falls. Lake was mesmerized by her storytelling. Ben and Adam walked outside.

"Joe had done a good job keeping up with the work while Hoss was taking care of Luce."

"Yes, he did."

"Now he's seeing a lady. Do I know her?"

"Yes, remember those three young ladies who were so interested in Joe at your wedding. He danced with the three of them all night. One after another giving each one of them about equal attention."

"Yes, I remember. So which one is he seeing tonight?"

"I'm not sure. He's been seeing all three."

"All three?"

"Yes, all three. We've been waiting for the inevitable, but so far he's managed to juggle the scheduling quite well. I don't know how he does it."

"I had hoped he would find someone too and settle down."

"Three of the most eligible bachelors in Nevada got married. I believe Joe thinks he's the most eligible bachelor left and wants to take full advantage of it."

Ben rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I'm sure he does. I hope that he doesn't get himself in any trouble."

"Pa, Joe get himself in trouble?" Then Adam chuckled as his father grimaced. They both knew it was a matter of time.

The End


End file.
